An Age's Beginning
by Razor-Guardian
Summary: It's been six years since Sonic and co. began countering Dr. Eggman's plans to rule Mobius. Eggman has forcefully gained almost all of the planet, and the free nations are gathering arms against him. But now, very peculiar events are baffling everyone...
1. Escape

**Right, so this is my first submission to this site. I've put this WIP on some forums and the like, but I decided to see what the people here had to say, and because I like this community and the layout. This kind of has a weird setting, because it's in an alternate dimension of the Archie comic series (kind of), while also throwing in plot elements of the games. That's all I have to say right now...so enjoy Chapter 1! **

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The hallway was long; it appeared to span about one hundred yards. On each side of the hallway were cells guarded by sturdy metal bars – Tails concluded that they were titanium alloy. He was shoved along by the two robotic guards and began walking at a fast clip. He examined the cells, and not one of them was home to a captive. He observed that the floor in one of the cells was streaked with blood.

Suddenly they stopped about three quarters of the way through the hallway. One of the mechanical guards punched in a code, and the cell door opened with a satisfying beeping sound. The other guard grabbed Tails and hurled him into the cell; he smashed into the wall on his shoulder blade. The door closed, and the guards strode off.

He sat up and rubbed his shoulder blade. Amazingly the area didn't hurt; he simply glanced off the wall causing minimal damage to the bone. Tails stood up, his mind racing. He tried to reach through the bars to use the control panel, but the bars were too close together. He felt around the walls for any worn or poorly constructed spots, but the steel enclosure was perfectly sound. He sat against the wall, digging for ideas.

Suddenly Tails remembered something. He searched around…where had he put it? Aha! From one of his quite bushy tails, he pulled out a glistening power ring he had gotten from one of the robot guards. It had enough energy for about a 1 second effect – just enough time. He tapped into the ring's power.

The guards around the corner heard a small explosion. They rounded the wall – and one of them got a taste of worn sneaker. It careened into the wall, and the other one reached for its plasma pistol. The former prisoner was too quick, and kicked the gun out of the guard's hand as it raised the weapon. Tails jumped in the air, grabbed the droid's head, and delivered a well-placed snap kick to its chest. It soared into the guard that was already down, and they both deactivated.

Tails didn't care that the guard robos were out in the open. He just ran. Neither guard had gotten the opportunity to sound the alarm, but he still had to be stealthy. He heard heavy footsteps and ducked into the other hallway as two bots marched past, and continued on.

Tails found himself situated at a ledge. He peeked down; it appeared to drop about fifteen feet. He scanned the area for potentially approaching guards, and leapt. Once he hit the ground he rolled to minimize impact damage and stood back up. He looked around and noticed the hallway getting brighter south of his position. He headed that way.

The hallway broke off to the right, where there was a large window at its end. Tails walked up to it and looked out. There was a great stretch of metal ground going out about one hundred-and-fifty yards and encompassing the building. Guard robos swarmed the platform, each one going in a different direction. The large metal platform was surrounded by glistening water, spanning as far as the eye could see. The cloudless sky was a dazzling blue. He peered into an area with a low ceiling covering it. His craft, the Tornado, was still there, unseen by the guards.

There was a door just to Tails's right. The control panel was next to it, and, to his relief; there were only five buttons. He punched in an assortment of different possible combinations and the door opened in about four minutes. By that time he heard clanking footsteps coming down the corridor again and he took off through the doorway. He heard the footsteps' pace increase as the guards began pursuit. He found a small loose shaft on the wall and yanked it off. The guards came into sight and one of them fired a shot. He held the shaft in front of himself, and, as he had hoped, the bullet ricocheted off. It slammed back into the robo, who exploded on impact. The other one was stunned by the explosion. He hurled the shaft at it, delaying it more, and he dashed. He picked the shaft back up while he was still running, hopped, and swung down. The guard disassembled in mid-air and hit the ground in seven neat pieces.

There were still no alarms sounding, so Tails began sprinting with less worry. Everything began to whiz by in a blur. Another mechanical guard came into view halfway down the corridor. He was going too fast to stop, so he did a small hop, ducked, and lifted off. He was moving through the air in a sort of sideways type motion, with one foot far in front of him. It collided with the bot's head, but he wasn't done yet. His other foot came around in an arc as he was spinning, and it caught the droid on the side. He did a neat corkscrew before he landed lightly and continued running. A perfect butterfly kick.

Tails glimpsed large double doors ahead and his heart leaped. There were no control panels next to this door, so he just positioned himself in a versatile defensive tackle. The door gave way instantly. The alarm finally sounded once the door opened. Almost instantly the guard robos stopped and surrounded him – he could see almost twenty just out of the corner of his eye. They shot at him, but he was going at a rate way ahead of their aim. He was almost to his plane when the gunfire suddenly ceased and the guards disappeared around him. He was starting to wonder why when the answer came.

Tails saw a figure ahead and skidded to a stop. His heart sank. He faced a large robotic contraption, a manual one that requires a person at the controls. It had two cannons on each arm and rocket packs under each foot. It was painted red and black, and was covered with thick armor. He didn't even have to look to know who was in it.

"Well, well," came the dark, pompous voice of Dr. Ivo Robotnik. "I knew those pathetic contraptions wouldn't be able to hold you for a day. They revealed their incompetence much sooner than expected, though."

He sneered. "But this is where it all comes to and end, Miles. You're going with me this time, and this time there's no escaping."

Tails finally locked eyes with the pathetic criminal, annoyed after being addressed by his real name. "Since when has that ever worked, Eggman?"

"Since now."

"You say that every time."

The sneer was gone. "You see, Miles, I learn from mistakes…and it isn't long until I've learned all that I can about bringing you and that blasted hedgehog to your knees."

"It's been six years, Egghead. Six years of mistakes. Either you just can't win or you're a really slow learner."

Eggman's face twisted in anger, and his machine raised its weapons. They fired at Tails, who dove and rolled out of the way.

"You'll see," Eggman growled between clenched teeth. "You'll all see. One day this planet will be mine, and you and that gang of wretched mutants will be begging for death!"

Tails scoffed. "Say it all you want, Eggman. Everyone knows you don't really have it in you to kill."

"Is that what you think?!" suddenly the anger left his face. Then, as suddenly as it had gone, it came back in full force, and the craft charged at Tails.

Tails launched himself up, and the machine whizzed right below his long, furry two tails, causing them to jerk violently. Eggman turned the machine around, and saw Tails pulling his eyelid down in a classic taunting fashion Sonic had taught him. Eggman fired again, and Tails began spinning on the ground, creating incredible torque. The bullets all bounced back off wildly, and a few of them hit the robot, only the ones hitting the cockpit doing any noticeable damage to it. Tails grinned once he stopped spinning.

"Come on, Eggman! Six years and you haven't changed your weapon's weak point!"

Tails sprinted at the machine and leapt, somersaulting violently; his tails outstretched and working as blades. He crashed into the cockpit and blew the robotic contraption over, flipping through the air and denting the ground with a heavy thud. The ground tremored violently and knocked Tails over. Apparently the machine's fall had damaged the platform.

The craft picked itself back up and tried to take advantage of Tail's fall by smashing him with its fist. Tails narrowly dodged by rolling over and kicked himself back up. The other hand came at Tails with its palm out, and Tails held out his arms. It pushed him back as he tried to keep standing. Tails tripped on an indentation in the platform, and the palm pushed him into the ground. The ground was quite dentable, however, and Tails wasn't greatly harmed. Another metal fist tried to crush him once again, and he rolled backward.

Eggman tried to force Tails backward again by launching the machine's arm at him, but Tails jumped this time. He landed on the stretchable arm, and gave it a punch at its bending point. It gave way, and he repeated. It broke in half, and the arm dropped into the ground. Another tremor came, but Tails held steady this time. Tails leapt again, this time somersaulting and kicking as he was arcing down. The machine ducked the attack and jumped, causing Tails to land on the cockpit. It rocket-launched into the air and gained altitude at an impressive rate. The robot's remaining arm grabbed Tails and hurled him toward the ground.

Tails righted himself and began spinning his tails, slowly at first, and gaining speed. Once they had reached a high velocity his descent slowed down. However, it still wasn't enough to land comfortably. He flipped over and outstretched his arms, clamping his eyes shut and waiting. His timing had to be perfect. His hands touched the ground and he waited half a second for the momentum of the impact start rapidly to give his body G's. Once the G force was built up enough, he pushed off. His calculations were correct, and instead of the impact damaging his own body, the force was transferred into the ground, causing it to be pushed into the sea. Tails was now standing in water that was about three inches deep.

Eggman's machine landed with a thud, pushing the platform in a few more inches and creating a dent were his machine was now standing. Tails was tiring, and Eggman knew so.

Eggman fired his cannons again, and Tails slid through the shallow water. The water sprayed and evaporated where the mildly powered bullets landed. Eggman reached the remaining arm at Tails, who jumped again, but this time Eggman was one step ahead of him. He made the machine jump with Tails and the arm came back like a spring. It hit Tails hard in the back and he smacked into the water.

Eggman again didn't bother with the rockets and let the heavy machine slam into the ground. The platform sank even more, and began to shake – and this time it didn't cease. Eggman looked through the cockpit's glass at Tails with a triumphant grin.

"This platform is doomed now," he said in a proud tone. "and I'm afraid this is where I take my leave. Good luck at getting to your little plane before it's on the ocean floor!"

He cackled, and with a loud beeping noise, the cockpit launched out of the machine and hovered away, Eggman's laughter floating through the sea breeze.

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**Also, I'll be throwing in some fan charries in future chapters, so enjoy the original-ness while you can... dun dun dun **


	2. Sink or Swim

**Chapter 2 time. I don't like this one as much as the last one, but it keeps the story going. Plus, we get more character intros/information. Whoo! **

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Tails bolted toward the plane, the water exploding where his feet pounded the ground. He knew that if the water reached the control panel, he was done for. The warm seawater reached his waist and it became impossible to run, so he hopped out and spun his tails like a propeller to glide over it. That, too, he would soon realize; was also impossible. He felt a surging pain when the tails spun, and looking back, he saw a huge cut where the machine's arm had smashed into his back. He sank back into the water, which reached his stomach by then.

He was only forty yards away from the airplane when his feet slipped off of the platform. He suddenly dipped under and accidentally gulped some of the water. When he regained his senses and surfaced, he belched it back out, grimacing from the taste of the dirt and salt. He then paddled onward, trying to avoid bursts of pain from his wound. He was already exhausted; it was all he could do to swim at a fast rate and stay afloat. When he finally reached his craft, the water was almost up to the wings.

He painfully pulled himself from the water up onto the wing and scrambled into the cockpit. The ceiling was too low to allow Tails to lift off vertically; he had to somehow move the plane straight through the water until the roof ended before the cockpit began filling up. Tails flipped the power switch on and made sure the plane wasn't already damaged. It wasn't built for maneuvering in water. He tried to move the thrusters forward, and got no response for a moment. The water began to ripple, and the aircraft inched forward. The water was past the wings by now.

It took over a minute for the Tornado to slink its way under the low ceiling, and the water was threatening to overtake the short window; the only thing protecting the cockpit. He was finally clear, and tried to lift off. The liquid under the plane moved out from under it and bubbled up to the surface, but the craft didn't budge. He pulled the controls toward him as much as he dared, but still nothing.

"Come on…" Tails growled, his heart thumping loudly. The water was swirling around Tails's sneakers and rising quickly. Tails gunned down on the throttle, and the Tornado finally began to take off. The water ceased pouring in and the plane's familiar whirring sound faded in. But the danger wasn't over yet. There was so much strain being put on the engine that it could blow out at any time.

But it didn't, and the plane jerked upwards, indicating it had overcome the salty water. Easing the tension on the plane, Tails drew up the map and looked around for Station Square, which was about 2,500 miles due north.

"Good girl…" he whispered, patting the plane's royal blue armor, and speeded towards Station Square.

\../

Tails landed the Tornado in the large grassy area hidden in the outskirts of the city. By the time he shut the plane off, the encounter at the droid base had really begun to take its toll. Instead of landing gracefully on the ground when he hopped out, his knees buckled beneath him and he smacked the lush earth, tasting the bitterness of grass. The wound on his back was making it difficult to move without experiencing a sharp protest, and the salt water seemed to have aggravated it. He gingerly picked himself up and trudged into the beaten-up building he called home.

"Hello?" he called weakly as he stepped through the dented glass door into the living room. The couches were ripped up, the TV was old, and the floor was dark and worn, but it worked, and was quite humble to Tails. It gave him a quaint feeling that made him comfortable whenever he was in it. "Hello?" he shouted again, a little louder this time. He heard pounding coming from the stairs and Cream emerged with the infant reincarnation of Cheese, Milky. Cream let out a short cry when she saw Tails's condition. She rushed to his side, and when she pressed him for details; he just replied, "Eggman. It's a long story."

He fell onto the couch and saw Sonic coming down the stairs. He glimpsed the weary and pained expression on his young friend's face. "Run into some trouble?" he questioned in his common, cheerful voice.

"A little," Tails said back. "Turns out Eggman was behind the whole thing."

Sonic grinned mischievously. "I told you so." He tossed Tails a cold bottled water, which he gratefully gulped down.

He sat up. "He just let the platform sink into the ocean, along with the building. Apparently there was nothing of value in there, or with those guard robos. He also left the machine he used to try to take me down with there." Sonic sat down next to Tails, who was staring at a mark on the floor. "I think the whole thing was just a plot to use me. For what, I have no clue."

"Eggman's a headcase." Sonic sat back and put his arms behind his head. "Probably just trying to get rid of you again. He should've known better."

"Actually, he came pretty close this time." Tails paused to the sound of Cream rummaging around in the kitchen. "He left me on the platform while it was sinking."

"What a bastard!" Sonic jeered. "I'm gonna have to bop him harder next time."

Tails gulped down some water, which tasted amazingly fresh after being deprived of it, and grinned. Sonic hadn't changed a bit.

Cream placed a sandwich in front of Tails and kneeled in front of him. She had a long, white bandage that she began covering the wound on his back with. "Does it hurt badly?"

Tails immediately relaxed a bit at the sound of her soft, flowing voice. "Not really," he lied.

Once she was done, he picked up the sandwich and took a bite. Sonic seemed amused at how hungrily he was chewing it up. Suddenly Cream's face lit up. She held up a finger and raced into the kitchen again, leaving Milky behind to play with Tails's long strands of hair. Tails grabbed the chao and ruffled its head. It had Cheese's knowing and playful eyes.

Tails jumped when Cream slammed something down onto the coffee table, sending a jolt of complaint down his spinal cord. He studied the object and scratched his head. "A new tool kit? Why?"

Sonic looked puzzled. "Don't you remember?"

Tails looked at Sonic blankly, and he eased back into the couch. "I suppose I don't blame you…after all, you've been gone for two days."

Tails was genuinely confused. Cream giggled. "Tails, your fourteenth birthday was yesterday."

Tails felt his cheeks get hot. "Uh…thanks."

Suddenly, he heard a noise at the door and Cream stood up. Amy Rose was at the living room's entrance, wearing a wide grin and carrying a plastic bag. "Hellooooooo, So-" then she saw Tails, looking back at her with sheepish eyes.

Almost immediately there was an angry gloved finger pointing at his nose. "There you are! Do you know how worried we all were? What happened to you? Why are you looking at me like that?" she touched his fur, which was bristly and hardened with salt. "And what happened to your fur? It looks like you had a bottle of soap poured on you!"

"Sorry, Amy…" Tails muttered meekly. "I was just out and about…for two days…" 

Sonic and Cream were desperately trying to hold back mirth. All happiness left Sonic when the attention shifted his way.

"Hellooooo, Sonic!" Sonic sank back into the cushion with a nervous grin as Amy pulled something out of the bag. "Look, Sonic! I got you a box of candy! It was the biggest box in the aisle, too! Don't you love candy?"

Tails knew Sonic never had an interest in candy. "Uh…thanks, Amy…" There was no escaping when she reached down to hug him. He gave Tails the _GET ME OUT OF THIS! PLEASE!_ look, and it was Tails's turn to restrain laughter.

Then she moved back to him, and put her hands on her hips. "Are you tired?"

Tails gulped. "Yeah."

"Then what are you doing? Get some rest! And you'll tell me what the hell you were doing once you wake up."

Sonic had gotten up and begun to inconspicuously creep away, but Amy's trained ears heard the tentative footsteps. Sonic froze when he felt her eyes drilling into the back of his head. "And where are you going?" She tapped her foot. "Did YOU have something to do with this?" Sonic turned to face her painstakingly slowly, and shrugged, giving her a defeated smile.

Amy pulled out her large hammer, and all Sonic could do was cringe. _gonk!_ Sonic was left sprawled on the floor with a headache and Amy leaned over him. "You never told me anything! How could you?" Sonic probably only half understood her in his daze, and Tails thought that was probably for the best. Amy defiantly marched out of the room, the mallet of the hammer tapping her shoulder.

Cream was flabbergasted, caught in the middle of all of this. Milky seemed to be enjoying it. Tails still sat there, embarrassed and dumbstruck. He fell back into the cushion. "What a woman," Tails muttered. Cream merely nodded, eyes wide, and Milky shrieked with delight.


	3. New Pains

**Still no reviews yet, so please give me your thoughts!**

**This is my favorite chapter so far. I love how the training fight scene between Sonic and Tails played out, although I believe their conversation beforehand is a bit cliche - which makes me feel like a hypocrite, because I said the same thing about a part in one of my sister's stories... eh, enough about me - but otherwise I don't think there are any problems with this. **

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The moon was perfectly round and especially luminous on that night. The sky was completely clear, so the moon was the only visible object in its wake; bathing the city in a florescent, almost ghostly; light source. Tails sat on the top of the building he lived in next to Sonic, something they did on suitable nights. Usually these moments were full of conversation, but tonight talk was scarce.

Sonic shifted suddenly. "You know, I hear that rumors are floating around town about two strange figures that can be seen at the edge of the abandoned building on certain nights."

Tails grinned. "Yeah? I don't believe it."

They were silent for a few more minutes, transfixed on the shiny surface of the moon. Then Sonic said, "You all right?"

Tails turned his head. "Yeah, my back feels fine now."

"I mean you."

Tails was surprised by that. "What do you mean?"

Sonic still gazed at the moon. "You've been really quiet lately. You never really talk unless someone addresses you. Besides that, you seem…uneasy." Sonic looked at Tails now, studying his face. "I know when something's bothering you, Tails. What is it?"

Tails didn't know why, but he was embarrassed. He looked down. "I can't help but think…" He trailed off. "I can't help but wonder…if Eggman's really up to something huge now. He's been…I don't know…monotonous?...He's doing the same things every time, and I'm starting to wonder if it's all just a cop out. Is he hiding something?"

Sonic laid back against the hard and cool steel surface of the large building. "I don't think Eggman's that patient. 'Sides, you worry too much."

"Yeah, I know."

"Hey." Sonic punched him in the arm lightly. "You're taking all of this way too seriously. Stop stressing out so much."

Tails said nothing. He glanced at the moon again. "I'll try."

Sonic sat up again. "Let's do something to take your mind off of it. Do you feel like sparring tonight?"

"Sure, that's fine with me."

They leapt off the building and landed softly on the ground. They were in the large backyard, with the moon poking above the trees; which provided perfect light. They paced backward to widen the gap between them and then stood perfectly still. "Let's see if you've learned anything from last time. Give me all you've got!" Tails nodded, and abruptly dashed at Sonic. He hopped, turning his body backward in mid-air and straightening; both legs stretched out in front of him; and began spinning. Sonic jumped out of the way of the screw kick and curled himself, revving up as he did so, and careened into Tails as he was recovering. Tails twisted in mid-air to land on his feet and dove to the left as Sonic revved at him again. Tails then sprinted at Sonic again, this time rotating his tails very quickly until he lifted off of the ground. The head-on tackle caught Sonic off guard, and Tails rammed into him. Sonic rocketed backward, but Tails wasn't finished. He ran as hard as he could and caught up to Sonic quickly, hopping over him and grabbing him. Sonic's momentum pushed them far backward, and once they finished sliding, Tails launched him into the air, leapt after him, and sent him plummeting to the ground with a downward snap kick.

Sonic slammed into the ground with a giant thud but picked himself up swiftly before Tails could assault him any longer. This time Sonic charged Tails, but did so slowly to confuse him. When he approached the fox he abruptly sped up and smote Tails in the gut with a flying kick. Tails slid and bounced across the grassy expanse, buffeted in the back each time he hit the ground. He finally stopped, dirt spraying into the air, and kicked himself up, countering Sonic's attempted grab. Tails promptly threw his fist sideways and caught Sonic on the side of the face, which he followed with a knee to his chest; and finished the combination with a roundhouse. Sonic handsprung as he fell and threw a side kick at Tails, which he blocked, but then hit Tails with an uppercut, sending him into the air a few inches, in which Sonic vaulted - rolling violently as he did so – into Tails, catapulting him into the sky.

They both were flying through the air when Sonic finished the homing attack. Sonic grabbed Tails's legs and began to wind up, whirling him through the air. Sonic let go, and Tails soared to the ground. Tails regained balance and landed upright, but then pushed off hard. The two were headed at a collision course in mid-air. Tails thrust his arms out in front of him and began to revolve, preparing a drill attack, while Sonic seemed to take no offensive action at all. As Tails was about to slam into Sonic, he somersaulted and moved to the side, Tails missing him by a few inches. Then as he passed, Sonic finished the flip and stomped both legs out, blasting Tails in the stomach. He was unable to react and hit the ground hard, Sonic landing gracefully.

Tails wasn't done yet, but he stood up gingerly, coughing as he did so. Sonic ran at him when he stood up and leaped forward. Tails knew this move well. He jumped as Sonic began to throw out his leg and spin. When he saw Sonic was coming dangerously close to landing the Windmill, he curled backward and rolled out of the way of the attack. Tails landed with his back to Sonic, who tried to get off a running kick, but Tails clotheslined him by snapping his elbow behind him. Sonic worked his way back to his feet and the two friends stared each other off for a second, panting hard.

Tails jogged at Sonic and sprung at him, pulling off a butterfly kick. Sonic sidestepped the move. After landing, Tails dashed at him, reared up, and punched, only to be blocked. Desperate, he did a low jump, spun around, and tried to land a spiral kick on Sonic's head. Sonic ducked and grabbed Tails's leg as he was descending. He hurled Tails over his body and slammed him into the ground. Tails slowly got up again, planted his hands on the ground, and swung both of his legs at Sonic; but he leaned backward to avoid the attack, stepped forward, and unleashed a devastating high kick. Tails whizzed through the air for a second, and twisted across the ground, ending on his side. He laid on the ground for a few seconds, and took an effort to heave himself up again. He succeeded, and tried to gather himself, breathing heavily. It wasn't to be, as his strength failed him and he swayed, collapsed onto his knees, and finally dropped forward.

Sonic kneeled by Tails and helped him up. Tails bent forward and leaned on his knees, gasping for air. "You're leaving yourself too many openings. I get the feeling you're just trying to be fancy rather than bash my head in."

Tails smiled faintly. "I guess I was a little slow…"

"I can see how you're thinking. Those technical attacks would work on a slower opponent or one who doesn't think on his feet, but your moves are too easy for me to predict. You need to surprise me with quicker, more outright ones so I don't have any time to counter."

Sonic looked at Tails for a moment, then said, "You're really improving. I like the way you're mixing moves and techniques the way you do. But you have to stop fighting mindlessly, or else your opponents will find openings."

Tails nodded, and stumbled. "Could you help me inside? I need to rest."

"Sure." Sonic put and arm around him and helped him hobble back into the house.

\../

_Tails was standing in a very large and dark room. It appeared to be mostly empty except for what looked like a giant computer and many panels taking up a small portion of the left wall. He scanned his surroundings, and noticed Sonic sprawled on the floor to his right. He rushed to his side, and noticed blood pouring out of a wound in his gut. He was still alive, but his breaths were short and pained. _

_Suddenly Tails saw something move out of the corner of his eye and jumped up. He whirled around and was facing the dark, shadowy outline of a creature. It was holding a pistol in its right hand. Suddenly feeling bold, Tails yelled, sprinted at it, and threw a mighty axe kick. His foot went right through the figure, and it disappeared. Tails's eyes flitted about the room, searching for the strange creature, but then he felt an excruciating pain coming from his side. _

_He yelped loudly and his knees buckled, seemingly on their own. He hit the ground and remained there on his back. He couldn't move, and breathing was becoming hard. He knew nothing but pain, nothing but the bursts of agony pulsing through his entire body. Suddenly the dark figure appeared over him and stood there for a moment. Fresh smoke was seeping out of its gun. Then an awful sound erupted from it. A short, violent sound that Tails recognized as his vision began to fade away._

_The person was laughing._

Tails awoke with a start and bolted into a sitting position. Aches and pains immediately coursed through him after the sudden movement. After a few hard gasps, the feeling of relief washed over him as he realized he was simply dreaming. But a feeling of fear and uneasiness also beset him.

_I've never had a dream that felt that real. _Tails inched off of the mattress and stretched. He decided that his collarbone hurt the most from Sonic's high kick, followed by his gut where Sonic rent him with the mid-air stomp. Tails grimaced and staggered out of the doorway of his room._At least I can walk without any pain._ Tails ran off some of the tap water into a glass and drank it, welcoming the smooth sensation of the icy water that ran down his throat. Peering into the living room, he noticed it was empty. _The girls are probably still asleep._

He stepped outside and was blinded momentarily by the rays of sunlight that glittered down upon him. Ignoring the protests that assaulted his body, he leaped up to the roof to look over the city. Sonic was already up there, assessing the mass of buildings and roads that lay tangled in front of them. Sonic greeted him with a warm grin. "Feeling better?"

"Well enough." Tails sat next to Sonic and they watched as the city steadily came to life. The number of cars on the road rapidly increased and people began to emerge on the sidewalks.

"Good ol' Station Square," Sonic said absentmindedly. Looking up, he observed, "Looks like a storm's coming."

Tails adjusted the metal bands on his gloves and followed his gaze. Immediately he knew something was wrong. "What the hell?" He promptly stood up and began rotating his tails quickly to begin hovering. He flew to the mini skyscraper near their building. He knew people would see him, but they were used to seeing Mobians by that time. He studied the wide expanse of clouds looming in front of the city and was deeply puzzled.

The clouds were jet black and rapidly threatening to overtake the sun in the east. Blue strands of lighting constantly snaked across the thunderheads, creating a faint rumbling sound. However everything about the approaching storm seemed fake, and Tails knew that's exactly what it was.

He jumped back onto the roof of their building, using his tails to soften the descent. "That's an artificial storm. It wasn't naturally created; someone spawned it."

Sonic gave him a blank look. "That's impossible. How could anyone create a storm?"

Tails faltered. "I don't know. But I've researched these. All I could find was that they're visually similar to real storms, but they're more intense."

Sonic stood up and examined the approaching clouds. "Eggman."

"It's possible…but I'd imagine this would take lots of technology, and lots of money."

"He _has_ been doing the same things each time," Sonic realized, "to save resources, so he could come up with this! But this looks like a pathetic result."

"No, Sonic." Tails was becoming exasperated. "I also read that artificial storms upset the magnetic polarities of the areas they cover. When this storm hits Station Square, the very lifestyles of these people could be turned upside down!"

"What do we do?"

"We have to stop it somehow." Tails looked away, racking his brain, and his face brightened as he remembered. "The center."

"What about it?"

"The artificial storm is fueled by a type of generator. The generator is always placed in the center of the storm. But..."

"But what? So we have to fly in there and destroy that thing."

Tails pulled at his bangs rigorously. "Are you insane? We can't just fly into an artificial storm with a modified biplane! It wasn't – "

"Tails," Sonic said, fixing him in the eye. "You said yourself the lifestyles of these citizens is threatened by this thing. Hell, they're probably planning to just wait it out in their houses and it'll blow over in a few minutes!"

Sonic dropped to the ground and shouted "Come on!" before taking off at a blur towards the hangar. Tails paced across the roof for a few seconds, panicking silently, and jumped off of the building after him.

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**C + C would really make me happy panda. **


	4. Revelations

**Many thanks to cutiegirl30109 for reviewing my fic. **

**This chapter was really fun to write. I don't really know why, but it was. w00t. XD**

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Tails ran after Sonic toward the hangar, ignoring his aches from the previous night and setting aside his worries for their survival. When he emerged through the door of the hangar, which was actually just a large garage perfect for housing a plane; he saw that Sonic was already situated on the Tornado's nose.

"You ready?" Sonic began stretching his legs as he addressed his best friend.

"Let's fly." Tails approached the side of the plane and vaulted into the cockpit. He flipped the power on, and as the plane buzzed to life he examined its condition. "All systems normal," he reported, relieved. He was afraid that the repairs he made on the strained engine would do no good.

The door retracted and revolved outward, concealing itself on the ceiling of the hangar. Tails eased the plane forward and turned it onto the fairly long strip of pavement Tails used for the runway. Sonic glanced back at him and gave him the thumbs up. Tails nodded and pushed forward on the throttle gradually. The Tornado began to speed down the runway, trees and plants shaking and rustling in its wake. When the plane reached a desirable speed, Tails pulled back on the flight stick and the plane lifted off of the ground. Buildings and cars and people began to shrink as the aircraft gained altitude, and wind whooshed past the windows surrounding the cockpit.

"Sorry I cowered on you earlier," Tails said sheepishly.

"What? Oh, hey, don't worry about it. I probably would have reacted the same way."

"No, you wouldn't have," Tails replied, and he was right.

To his surprise, Sonic chuckled. "Jeez, Tails! You have to stop getting so down on yourself. You need a little self confidence."

"Sorry."

"See, there you go again."

Tails grinned, but immediately became serious again. "It's closer than I thought. You should probably get inside the cockpit."

The artificial storm raged in front of them. The blue streaks of lightning continued to curl through the pitch black clouds at an increased pace, creating drum-like booms as they spawned friction with the air. The wind picked up immediately and began to emit a high-pitched whistle. Tails's long bangs were snagged by the wind and thrashed wildly about. Sonic, heeding to his buddy's advice, appeared in the seat next to him. At the press of the larger button on the panel's left side, a glass covering protruded from both windows and encased the top of the cockpit, causing the whistle to die down and the vigorous winds with it.

"That's new," Sonic observed.

"I threw it in while taking a look at the engine."

"Miles Prower," Sonic patted his shoulder; "thank God for your timing."

"Hold on…we're going to experience some major turbulence."

Almost immediately after Tails's statement, the Tornado began to jostle around. Sonic buckled on the safety belt and tightened it. Tails strengthened his grip on the controls, ensuring that the aircraft remained under his manipulation. Tails's visibility was eliminated completely – all he was able to see was the smoky essence of the clouds billowing around him and occasional bolts of lightning snaking across them in front of the plane.

Two minutes later the situation hadn't changed. Worry washed through Tails's heart. "I can't tell where we're headed."

"What do you mean?"

"I…" Tails trailed off. "I think we're lost."

"We're not lost. What's on the radar?"

"Nothing. The heat and matter that's being created with the storm is interfering. That thing could be any - "

Lights suddenly blew out, leaving the Tornado's cockpit in total darkness. Sparks radiated through the control panel. The warning buzzer began to go off, but immediately faded away.

"Damn it!" Tails's low and acute voice snapped through the cockpit. "The storm's magnetism shorted out the power! I've totally lost control of the plane!"

The shuddering and vibration that besieged the cockpit turned into a violent churning. The aircraft's whirring sound became deep and anguished as it lost altitude.

But then, as suddenly as it went out, the power came back on. Tails's control abruptly guided the plane again, and it jerked upward. The normal whirring sound returned, and the intense shaking subsided.

"We dodged a bullet there," Sonic murmured.

"More like the bullet avoided _us_," Tails corrected him. "Hey…"

Tails peered at the radar. A green object appeared on the right side of the screen, and it stood out brighter and larger than any other of the readings. "Sonic, I think we found the generator."

Tails veered to the right. The signal came closer and closer to the center of the screen. "Tails, slow down! I think I see it."

Tails did as Sonic said and gained altitude before letting off of the throttle. Straining his keen eyes out the windshield, Tails discovered it as well. The generator was suspended in mid-air and moving with the storm, a glow pulsing from it ever other second. It appeared to be a giant egg with electric currents visibly running across its surface. As it glowed, Tails noticed an insignia printed on its side. Tails leaned forward to study it, and was set aback after examining.

"That's not Eggman's symbol," the teenaged fox realized.

A large intricately and spiffily shaped 'T' jutted in and out of the lines of an ellipse. A diagonal streak began at the left end of the ellipse, ran through the center of the T – not overlapping it, however – and ended at the right side of the ellipse. When Tails looked at it, it sent a cold shiver tingling down his spine.

"Do you know what organization it represents?" Sonic breathed, eyes glued to the strange marking.

"Not a clue. I've never even seen this anywhere before…"

"Tails, we're losing altitude. Shoot the generator!"

Snapping out of his awe-stricken state, Tails grabbed the firing stick and pushed the button on the top, holding it down. Long blue plasma bullets rapidly careened out of both of the barrels that were mounted on either side of the plane. Tiny explosions began to form where the bullets hit. Tails continued the assault, keeping his thumb parked on the button. Gradually the explosions became larger until the generator was engulfed in flames and blast. It began to sink down through the air, and the storm started to wear down. Tails let his thumb off the button. Keeping the Tornado steady became easier as the buffeting winds died down. The quivering in the cockpit began to cease. Tails made a 90 degree turn and revved the throttle. The aircraft stopped plummeting and climbed back into the air, soaring away from the neutralized generator.

The clouds turned a brighter color, and the blue lighting faded away. Eventually, rays of sunlight penetrated through the fake clouds and they disappeared entirely. Tails retracted the glass covering that was placed over their heads by pressing the same button that had put it up. A faint _kaboom_ could be heard behind them as the generator collided with the salt water and became no more.

"That was fun," Sonic proclaimed in his usual tone of voice. Tails grunted and kept the airplane in the same direction. Station Square became a dot in the background.

Sonic gave Tails a puzzled expression. "Tails, where are you headed? Shouldn't we head back home and explain this to the girls…before Amy gets worried again?"

Tails didn't want Amy to get worried again. He knew she wouldn't be so lenient on him next time. "Not yet. There's someone I need to see about this insignia."

"Someone…" Sonic realized who he meant, and fell back into the seat. "Oh, God…Tails, we haven't seen him in three years."

"All the more reason to go see him." Tails grinned at him playfully. "If he tries to 'kill' you again, I'll stick up for you, alright?"

"Yeah, okay." Sonic unbuckled himself and leapt onto the nose of the plane again in one swift motion.

\_.|._/

Angel Island had many large grassy expanses, perfect places for Tails to land the Tornado. The plane touched down near the south edge of the floating island, and slowed to a stop in the meadow with the large willow tree – which was now even larger. Sonic hopped off of the front of the plane, and Tails unstrapped himself before jumping out of the side, not bothering with the door. Landing softly, he stood next to Sonic, taking in the details of the environment.

"Not much has changed," Sonic mumbled absentmindedly. "Everything just seems…bigger."

Tails agreed with a slight nod. "We shouldn't waste any time."

He started off at a hard jog, which still sent him hurtling past the objects in the meadow. Sonic trailed behind him with a blank look on his face. The hedgehog didn't like Knuckles the Echidna's grasp on the world and attitude towards others, but knew Knuckles could help them with these sorts of things. Tails knew that Sonic always treated their visits this way – with defeated reluctance.

The red echidna was in the same spot he always was when he was on Angel Island. In the middle of the island there was a large pedestal of sorts, the south side covered with several stairs. Knuckles sat on the top stair, the luminous green Master Emerald laid in the indentation behind him. It was his duty to guard the Master Emerald, the mother of all the Chaos Emeralds; a duty given to him by his ancestors – or, at least, that's what he babbled about. His eyes were shut, so Tails knew that he was either deep in though or angry about something. He suspected the latter.

"I heard you land," came the dark, rough voice of the echidna. His eyes remained hidden by their lids. "You're not welcome to simply barge onto the island without permission."

"Why don't you put up some 'No Trespassing' signs?" Sonic boldly mused.

Knuckles growled behind his teeth. "I want you to leave."

Tails stepped forward. "We can't. We need you for something."

Knuckles seemed troubled. "Was that _Tails_?" His eyes opened. They were a deep purple and were darkened with a serious and mature air. He proceeded to look the kit over, flabbergasted. "What the heck happened to you?"

"Aging. It tends to happen sometimes…always a bit of a shock when it decides to come around."

The echidna's eyes narrowed. "What do you need me for?"

"Identifying a symbol." Tails took the pad and pencil he grabbed out of the Tornado and began sketching. As he did so, Sonic queried, "Have you ever heard of artificial storms?"

Knuckles stood and crossed his arms. "Yes, I have. Powerful man-made storms that are fueled by some sort of machine. Why?"

"We ran into one, and we saw this on the machine." Tails finished and handed the paper to Knuckles. He examined the paper closely, and scratched his muzzle. "I thought that was a legend…"

"You know the symbol?" Sonic sounded genuinely surprised.

"Theta Black," Knuckles said quietly. A chill ran throughout Tails's entire body as he heard the name of the organization. "I've heard stories. They say it's a rebel group that sides with neither Eggman nor the free nations. They're an independent group of Mobians and – strangely enough – Overlanders."

"Overlanders?" Tails blurted, superstitious. Overlanders generally wanted nothing to do with Mobians – the four-fingered humans hated them as a race. Calming himself, he questioned, "What's their purpose?"

"No one knows for sure. But they despise anyone who is not a recruit in their team, and have been known to kill mercilessly. I didn't know they had the technology to build an artificial storm…in that case, we have to be wary, because they're advancing as a group."

Sonic paced around the stone pedestal. "They sent the storm to Station Square," he said. "Maybe they planned to attack the humans while they were out of balance."

"They're coming." Knuckles looked up from the paper. "Whenever they send an object to an area that contains their insignia, they're coming to that area. Sonic may be right."

"Tails, did you hear that?" Sonic slapped Knuckles on the back. "He just agreed with me!"

"Don't push it," the echidna grumbled.

Tails felt he needed to point out the obvious. "They're mistaken if they think the artificial storm worked. The generator's busted."

"Theta Black is known for spreading fear more than destruction and wealth in their numbers." Knuckles addressed Tails. "If they come, they're going to be causing trouble in Station Square for a while."

\_.|._/

"Why would Theta Black want to cause trouble the last pure human city?" Tails wondered aloud as he piloted the Tornado back to Station Square.

"To expand their 'empire', most likely," Sonic replied from the plane's nose. "Either that, or to eradicate the humans."

"Why would they want to do that? They've been existing peacefully here, not causing any trouble with anyone."

"I don't know. Knucklehead said that they are known for spreading fear, so it could be a way of making a statement to either the free nations or Eggman."

Tails was scared about how much sense the blue blur was making. "I believe you've hit the nail on the head with _one_ of those reasons."

The nineteen-year-old hedgehog shrugged. "Most likely. I'm just throwing out some crap."

As Tails was approaching the beach, he caught something out of the corner of his eye. He glanced to the left, and squinted. When he realized what he was looking at, he immediately drew back to the controls. "Sonic, hold on! We're landing on the beach."

"What –" the hedgehog began, but the Tornado made a dive. Tails straightened the plane about ten feet off of the ground and let it glide down on the sands of the empty beach – at least, almost empty. Tails quickly leapt out of the cockpit and broke into a run upon landing.

"Tails, what the heck is going on?" Sonic ran after Tails, but found the fox to have stopped after several meters and screeched to a halt next to him. The blue blur looked down and realized why Tails had landed on the beach.

Laying unconscious in front of them was a pale blue female fox.

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**Commence fan characters. Oh noes.**

**Oh, and by the way, the reason why Sonic's 19 while Tails is 14 is because of their ages in the Archies - they're only 5 years apart in them (biologically 4, because of Sonic's time spent in space). **


	5. Neptune

**Another quite short chapter. The reason for that is I'm being told that my chapters are too long now. Eh...I personally think their length is fine, but the viewers' opinion is what I favor. Mostly because they're the ones who review. XD**

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_ Where the hell did she come from?_

Miles Prower stared at the girl fox who was lying, still unconscious, on the couch. She appeared to be his age, had bright cyan fur, and wore a dark-gray belly-cut top. She had on long and baggy shorts. On her feet were faded dark blue low-cut boots, and a bandana with exquisite markings rested over her eyes with her long, drooping bangs resting over it. She had hair falling down from the back of her head and stopping at her back. Her figure was slight and she appeared to be around three feet tall; a little shorter than Tails.

The latter sat in the opposing chair and watched her stomach slowly heave in its repeating pattern – up, down, up down.

_She's been out for three hours…_

Tails was fascinated by the girl. When he and Sonic carried her into the Tornado, Tails noticed the symbol of the elements on her headband. The same markings were on the backs of her fingerless gloves. Tails pushed himself to his feet and stood over the vixen. That's when he noticed a necklace hanging over the collar of her top. In the middle of the necklace was a large gem-like object, hued a grayish and bright blue. The magnificence of the color bewildered him. Puzzled, he gently began to ease it from her neck. To his surprise, it rippled like water when he touched it.

A hand shot up from the side of the couch. With his razor-sharp reflexes, Tails easily stopped it from connecting with his jaw. He dropped the black chain of the necklace and stared into the girl's eyes, which had just opened. They were a blazing hot pink, a color unlike any Tails had seen in someone's eyes. At first they shone with intensity and anxiety, but they softened as they studied Tails further. He released his grip on her hand and it fell down. A staredown commenced as they scanned the other's faces. The girl suddenly piped up in a melodious voice. "I'd rather you didn't handle that necklace without my permission."

"Sorry about that." Tails eased the strain on his muscles and stepped back. "I just wanted to…" he failed to finish his sentence.

The fox girl tilted her head as he went silent. "Sorry, but I couldn't help but notice. You have twin tails."

Suddenly his cheeks went hot and he rubbed the back of his neck without realizing it. "It's a nice necklace. Where did you get it?"

She looked down. Her forehead strained as she tried to think quickly. "It's…it's a…gift from my tribe. It symbolizes the water element."

"Tribe?" Tails inquired, but Sonic stepped into the room as he was about to press her further.

"Hey! She's finally up?" he exclaimed. He hurdled the couch, landing next to Tails. "You all right?"

The girl seemed dazed by the sudden arrival. "Eh…sure." She pushed herself into an upright sitting position and took in her surroundings. "And…where am I?"

Tails immediately tensed up again involuntarily. Sonic gave him a confused look. "Eh…sorry. This is our place."

"Where's your place?"

Sonic stepped up for him. "Station Square. The -"

"Human city, yes." The vixen said, though not unkindly. "Why do you live in Station Square?"

Tails felt himself blush again and looked away. "It's always the first place…where Eggman strikes."

She glanced at Sonic, who returned her gaze. "I'd continue asking you questions, like what an Eggman might be, but the fact that I have no idea who you are would be drilling into me…"

Tails liked her approach. "I'm Miles Prower. You can call me Tails."

"Sonic the Hedgehog. Nice to meet you."

"Neptune." A strange feeling pulsed through Tails's body as she related her name to them. He felt he suddenly knew her so much better now.

Neptune stood from the couch. Shock hit Tails as she stretched.

"You have two tails as well," he breathed. Sonic gaped at his discovery.

Neptune smiled warmly. Tails liked her smile right away. "A deformity I thought I would never see on anyone else until now. At least now I know I'm not alone in it."

Tails stood in total astonishment. _Impossible…_

Footsteps could be heard pounding their way down the stairs. Neptune averted her gaze to their origin, causing Tails and Sonic to turn their heads as well. Cream emerged from behind the wall, followed closely by Milky. She lifted her head to smile at the boys, but froze when she saw the female fox. The grin disappeared from the preteen bunny's face.

For a few seconds they stared at each other, their expressions blank. Slowly Cream continued down the steps. "Another Mobian in Station Square?"

Sonic shrugged. "Her name –"

"I'm Neptune," she cut in.

Cream managed another pleasant face. "Pleasure. I'm Cream. This chao next to me is Milky."

Milky gave a quiet squeak as it wiped the sleep out of its eyes.

Cream, apparently at a loss for words, turned and stepped into the kitchen.

"She's not much of a morning person," Sonic mended.

Tails was mesmerized by her necklace. Every time she moved, the entire gem – which was about as big as her fist – rippled. Tails realized that Sonic had noticed it as well. He spared Tails having to ask about it again: "That gem…how does it work like that?"

Neptune grasped it and let out a soft sigh. "I can't tell you. You wouldn't understand."

Tails wanted to protest, but Amy appeared in the door in the corner of the room.

_They're coming out at the worst times,_ Tails thought bitterly.

Amy's nonchalant face caught Tails off guard. "I couldn't help but hear you talk. I think I'm going to take this girl off your hands."

She approached the girl and addressed her with a nod. "You're Neptune, right? Amy Rose." She held out a hand.

Neptune looked at her gloved hand and then Amy's kind face, and shook it with another warm smile. "You're correct. I'm guessing you're the one keeping these guys in line."

Sonic let out a yelp mourning his damaged pride. Tails felt sweat slip down the back of his head. He let a touch of amusement and a dose of awe edge his expression. Her bold remark startled him. Amy was apparently pleased.

"I like your perspective." Amy put her arm around her back and led her back through the door she came out of. The boys heard them converse as they did so. "You know, I was thinking of taking Cream out shopping today…"

"Shopping?" Neptune sounded lost.

"Oh, come on, don't tell me you don't go shopping..." Amy sighed. "I guess we're going to have to drag the boys along for an enhanced paycheck."

Cream squealed with delight at the kitchen's threshold.

"Oh, no!" Sonic and Tails groaned simultaneously.

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**Neptune is copyright TailzChao. Except for her new clothes and hair style. That's copyright me.**


	6. Foresight

**Shweet, another reviewer! Thanks, Swekyde. **

**And to answer your question, possibly. :o **

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_Damn it…damn it…_

Amplifying a loud yelp into several reserved sputters, Tails wrenched his eyes shut as he gingerly grasped one of his serious wounds. A large gash tore diagonally from the side of his lower chest to the other side of his lower stomach. A small hole gaped below where the gash started on his chest. A cut on his forehead sent blood curling around his left eye. Another cut similar in size sported on his right shoulder. A number of other bruises and scrapes were strewn about his slight frame. He was also pretty sure that one of his ribs was broken. The wall which he lay in front of was streaked with his blood from when he slid across it. Fresh blood constantly poured onto the floor.

_Damn it..._ "AUGH!" Tails let out a short groan. _Why the hell…those bastards… _He slammed his blood-stained gloved fist on the ground.

_Am I…going to die here…?_

Breathing heavily, he scanned the very large and dark room. It appeared to be mostly empty except for what looked like a giant computer and many panels taking up a small portion of the left wall. The once clean and empty floor was now riddled with stains of blood, a few weapons, and three darkly-clothed unconscious bodies. Tails grew faintly aware of footsteps approaching him. After a moment they stopped next to him, and another gloved hand – a fingerless gloved hand – grabbed the frill of thick fur above his chest and pulled him off the ground. Tails was gazing into hard, brown eyes.

"I wouldn't suggest keeping this up," A dark voice observed. Tails returned the cold stare and blew his bottom bang out of his eye.

"I don't care."

Tails felt himself being thrown backward. With a loud smack he collided limply with the wall. A wave of blood and a gasp escaped the fox's mouth as he did so. He found himself sprawled on the hard ground again. Any energy he had left was draining by the second.

But he lifted his arms and heaved his body upright. He wiped the blood from around his mouth and assumed a fighting stance.

The enemy fighter shrugged. His unhooded cloak billowed; the ominous Theta Black symbol in the back waving around. "Suit yourself."

He suddenly dashed. Tails planted his beat-up sneakers firmly in place and gathered his remaining energy for a short burst. He could feel the adrenaline rushing through his veins.

_Come on, Sonic…_

\../

Station Square, 2 days earlier

"What the hell do you mean by 'artificial storm'!?"

Amy's prying voice resounded throughout the living room. Cream, seated on the couch; cringed at her swearing, with Milky playing with her long and droopy ears. Neptune was absent from the room. So Tails and Sonic were standing there helplessly while Amy's easily-sparked anger rose steadily. "What are you looking at me like that for? Are you going to answer me!?"

Sonic avoided her piercing gaze and scratched his sagging cerulean quills. "Don't worry about stuff like that, 'kay? We took care of it. Over with."

Amy stood menacingly over him. "I believe I asked you a question."

Sonic wore a panicked look. "Eh…something about advanced technology…and it doesn't spawn naturally…generator…Tails knows about stuff like that."

_Aw, hell, he's putting the spotlight on me…_

Tails found his usually low voice squeaking in the wake of an enraged Amy. "It's just…just like a fake storm, Amy. Created by somebody with this big machine. And it's really powerful…and…" he trailed off.

"And what?"

Sonic courageously voiced the next part. "There was one heading this way."

"Oh, really? And where were we?"

"Asleep." Tails couldn't stop a faint smile from creeping into his face.

"So, what happened? Did it just miss us? Or vanish? What?"

Tails felt obliged to answer the most risky chance in setting her off. "We _might_ have gone out…and…"

Amy didn't let him finish. Before he knew it, the flat of a hammer came into Tails's sight, and he was soaring through the air. He was aware of Cream letting out a faint cry of disapproval, and another _whack_ as Amy spun around to pound Sonic. Then a sharp pain exploded through his head as he smacked into the wall and dropped to the floor. Stars danced through his mind.

"Was that _really_ necessary!?" came Cream's protest.

"Of course it was! First Tails goes out and nearly gets himself killed and now _this_? Their reason has gone out the window!"

Tails regained control of his senses and stood on all fours, catching his breath. Suddenly a wave of bravery rushed through his body. He looked up, his bangs falling over his eyes.

"So is that a 'thank you, boys! We had fun shopping!'?"

A flash of white as Amy's boot collided with his collarbone.

"Now _that_ was necessary."

\../

Dr. Eggman strolled nervously through the halls of an intricate airship base. His uneasiness was displayed on his rotund face, his sunglasses hiding the awe in his eyes. Large double doors were in sight at the end of the corridor he was in. He twiddled his fingers as he approached the doors; the Theta Black insignia was plastered across their steel surface. He stopped in front of it, and punched a button combination he was recently taught into the panel next to it. With a low whoosh, the doors parted and disappeared into the sides of the entrance into the main room of the base.

The room was larger than any the evil scientist had seen. The walls were dotted with computer screens and the symbol revealed itself every once in a while. The walls and floor were a grayish-blue, and bright lights covered the vast ceiling. At the end of the room, a small cloaked figure paced back and forth in front of what appeared to be a glass casing. Eggman resumed walking toward the figure.

The figure noticed him and ceased pacing. It outstretched its arms in a welcoming gesture. "Dr. Ivo Robotnik, I presume," it said in a dark male voice. "We have important matters to discuss. Come look inside this casing."

The overweight man did as he was told and peered inside. Seven holders were placed in the left side of the casing, lined up vertically to the glass ceiling, and four separate holders were suspended horizontally on the right side. However, the seven holders were empty; but only three of the others were as well. The fourth of the separate holders sported a shining and dazzling red gem, shaped in the likeness of a flame. It appeared to be the size of someone's fist, and seemed to flicker through the glass of the casing.

"You told me you have one of the Chaos Emeralds in your possession," the mysterious Mobian said coolly.

Snapping out of his deep interest, Eggman fumbled around in his jacket and pulled out a large green emerald, formed like a diamond and transparent in its exquisite structure. The figure held out his hand, and Eggman placed the gem in the leather of his glove. He lifted the gem, opened the top of the casing by punching in a combination on a nearby panel, and carefully placed the Chaos Emerald in the first of the seven left holders.

Suddenly the emerald and the red gem flashed simultaneously, causing Eggman to flinch. Then as quickly as it came, the glowing stopped. The gems were normal again.

Eggman mustered the courage to speak. "Who might you be, who knows so much about the emeralds?"

"You said you have a little 'rodent' problem, didn't you, Dr. Robotnik?" The figure said, seemingly ignoring his question.

Eggman smirked broadly. He was playing his song. "Why, yes, I think I did."

The Mobian turned around to face the scientist and unhooded his cloak. "I am the leader of Theta Black. I researched the emeralds and found that they had quite an intriguing history."

"Yes, of course, but - "

Theta Black's initiator held out his hand to silence him. "Let's work out a deal, shall we?"

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**For some reason, this chapter was extremely fun to write. Especially the first bit, although I don't really know why. I guess dark action sequences spur my imagination on.**

**Ooh, and we've got lots of swearing in this chapter; especially by Tails. Mwahaha... **


	7. Relationships

**Back after awhile. Have a bit of other things going on, so continuing is hard, but not impossible.**

--

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

Dr. Eggman placed his gloved fingers together nervously as he peered out the large window in the airship's corridor. Endless bouts of sparkling blue water whizzed by under them. Theta Black's leader stood beside him, wearing a disinterested expression.

"You have never heard of us, have you?" he replied quietly, his eyes glued to the sights outside the window.

The scientist gulped. "I have. Stories and tidbits of information, mostly. There are hardly any records of you in the government's security files."

The Mobian standing beside him smirked faintly. "A hacker, are you? In that case, let me inform you that all our missions in the past year have been a success."

"Right. But, you see…have you ever heard of Sonic the Hedgehog?"

The hallway was silent for a moment. Suddenly low, hard laughter rang out from the cloaked leader's mouth. Every cackle sent a cold shiver down Eggman's back.

"Have I ever heard of Sonic the Hedgehog?" he repeated the query. "So _that's_ your rodent problem. That's one hell of a predicament, my sir."

All Eggman could do was nod.

"Station Square…" Eggman seemed to be zoned out of the conversation. "If our Plan A worked as we hope, then we shouldn't have so much trouble with Sonic the Hedgehog."

"The artificial storm?" Eggman confirmed. Then another thought struck him. "His fox friend is presumably dead from our last encounter, which would make it easier still. But I wouldn't count on my success. That little bastard has an annoying knack for survival."

"No matter what happens, I prefer to prepare for the worst-case scenario. I'll be heading out with the members this time around."

The endless blue expanse was shattered by a gray speck appearing on the horizon. Eggman was hit by familiarity, even from this far away.

"It was one hell of an expedition attempting to get into the mountain, but we've reached our destination."

Eggman grinned awkwardly. "You can thank that fox I mentioned earlier for the aircraft vent."

The leader of Theta Black finally turned to look at Eggman. "It's time."

\../

"Sometimes I wonder if that crazed bitch even likes me after all." Sonic leaned back against the roof of the building next to Tails. Tails gazed at the dazzling colors that assaulted him from the setting sun. "The littlest thing sets her off…"

"That's because she cares," Tails offered in her defense.

"Exactly. Way too much. She knows that there's danger everywhere! What, does she just want us to sit back and let Eggman deteriorate the world into disarray?" He rubbed the bump that formed on his head from the strike of her hammer.

"I'm sure she means well. She just doesn't want us to get hurt..." he glanced at his aching collarbone. "…badly."

"Weren't you the one who sent her careening down through the atmosphere as a blazing inferno?"

"Yeah, she got burned…but I had just gotten pummeled by the head of a giant hammer. No one would really be in the best of moods."

He thought for a moment. "You know, we should spar again soon. I shouldn't have to wait a week to walk again after every fight I get into."

Sonic displayed no emotion on his face. "There are a lot of things I could say to you right now, but none of it would be different than anything I've told you before."

Tails was silent, so Sonic continued. "There are too many things about you, too many things that you do right; that make you a really cool person to be around with; to treat yourself that way."

Tails looked at the ground on the city below.

"You should think about a lot of things. Think about how you've grown these past years. How you've learned and matured. About how you were when you started sparring with me, and the fighter you've become. About how you're even better at mechanics. And, most importantly; about how you act around other people. Think about these things, and then try to put yourself down."

Sonic stood up. "Because I know thinking is what you do best."

Tails was too engrossed by these words to tell Sonic how much wisdom they possessed, about how much power they held; about how much they meant to him. By the time he figured out something to say, Sonic had already gone.

Tails replayed the scene a few times in his head. Sonic truly liked him. Sonic cared enough to be an understanding mentor and a playful friend at the same time. Tails discarded the idea that when Sonic became his idol, the vice versa also happened. But deep down inside, he concluded; he knew it to be true.

\../

"Boys."

Amy Rose spewed the simple but meaningful word while sifting through the merchandise she, Cream, and a stunned Neptune had purchased. The latter was fascinated with the means of gaining accessories, but wasn't truly interested in buying anything. She was truly an outcast among the shopping spree maniacs, but she didn't mind. She was still clearly tackling the fact that she was now in a place far away from anything she'd previously known – and now thrust with the task of getting to know the people who had taken her in.

"You can't live with them…and the trick is finding a way to live without them."

Cream seemed lost in thought at the edge of the bed. Neptune was puzzled at Amy's words. "Do you not like these people?"

Amy seemed to have trouble coming up with an answer to that. "Sometimes I forget, but the truth is, they're very close to me."

_That's weird. _

Neptune desperately tried to make eye contact with Cream, but to no avail. She was startled to find Amy standing in front of her. "Are you feeling well?"

"Uh, yes."

"Are you sure?"

"I…" Neptune looked away. Amy waited patiently. When no answer came, Amy said very seriously, "I know I can try to understand what you're going through right now, but I can't. No one here can. All we can do for now is make you as comfortable as possible."

Neptune glanced over at Cream again. She was now gazing sympathetically in her direction.

"Just know that you're one of us now. If anything ever happens, we're always right here."

With that, Amy turned and was out the door in the next moment. Neptune and Cream gave each other awkward expressions for a few seconds, then she managed a shy smile and followed Amy out.

Neptune sized up her situation. Amy Rose had immediately broken the ice with her and assured that her back was being watched. Amy struck her as the kind of person to keep her word. The boys she hadn't gotten much of a chance to interact with, although they seemed kind enough. But she felt there was a barrier between her and Cream; and she needed something to break it.

--

**Again, I find this to be cliche, but nothing's perfect. Besides, the best part is coming up.**


	8. Beginnings

**Man, I suck at putting a reasonable amount of time between updates. **

--

The door of the gym shut with a soft and strangely satisfying _poomph_. A sixteen year old boy with long, parted yellow hair started down into the road. His bag slung over his shoulder, he strolled the sidewalk in suburban Station Square. Many thoughts rushed through his head, and he grimaced when he remembered he had to take his SAT's next week. The pace he walked fell into a sort of rhythm. He could always sort the sounds he picked up around him into beats and patterns. Hearing is how he learned best. In fact, Bradley Carter never forgot a sound he heard.

He could recall any conversation he had ever heard. Better yet, he could remember anything he listened to in school, so he was a whiz at Math. That's basically the only critical device he needed in school to get straight A's; so the reason why he grimaced when remembering the SAT's was beyond him. Bradley often confused himself with his thoughts.

Bradley was as odd as his hair, which is about as odd as anything gets.

At 3:00 PM on Mondays and Wednesdays, he pulls on his gii over his school clothes and heads to the gym. However, it's not really a gym, but a martial arts school – a Taekkyon school, to be exact. The 'gym' is probably in the shadiest and most secluded parts of town, but that's what Bradley thinks gives the area charm. He loves how the sun's rays glint through the tree leaves.

His favorite part about the shady area is when he gets jumped by muggers. Maybe it's seeing their reaction when he doesn't back down, or watching them spiral through the air when he gives them a perfect tornado kick. But once in awhile he gets the treat of a fight outside of Taekkyon class. It was a treat Bradley always enjoyed; because he never lost. He only ever failed to defeat his own Sensei and the Grandmaster in his class, but he never counted those. Probably only for his pride, but no one ever pointed it out, so he didn't care.

Today there were no muggers. The street was empty. Bradley turned right out of the road and out into the treeless urban utopia. There was also a small eatery close to the gym that he went to for dinner. Actually, it was more like a fast food joint – it_ was_ a fast food joint – but Bradley still called it an eatery. Few people ever understood Bradley's way of thinking. Whenever someone asked him about it, he replied, "The glass is half-full. So I drink it." Usually those are the people to ultimately become his good friends. Bradley likes it when people press each other on matters. Simpletons do not appeal to him.

However, today Bradley never reached the parking lot of the fast food joint. He was sidling the area where the sidewalk dissipates into the curb when he heard a low and persistent _whoosh_ sound from above. Puzzled, he turned and scanned the cloudless sky. Only the sun boasted its presence in its wake. Gradually the _whoosh_ became louder and lower. He frantically threw his eyes in every direction and whirled around, desperately searching for the cause.

The noise grew so loud that it drowned out his thoughts. The sound was apparently reduced by the buildings, because no one opened their windows to look out or rushed out to see what the matter was. They must've thought it was that Mobian's airplane, as he originally figured. Only the pedestrians took notice of this. Bradley finally caught sight of the source. Bradley gaped at an enormous and somehow intriguing aircraft hovering toward the city. Bradley would have marveled at its spectacular features would it have been a recurring sight. But such an event baffled him. _What the hell?_

Eventually the noise was too much to bear. Bradley clamped his ears shut and squinted at the craft that was now descending upon the beach. He glimpsed a large symbol plastered like elegant graffiti on the structure's body. _T? Terrestrial? Totally strange? Ticking me off!_? Bradley found himself cautiously and involuntarily approaching the craft.

Finally the ear-splitting sound stopped. It was over by the snap of a finger. The mysterious aircraft lay motionlessly and noiselessly on the beach. Bradley stepped onto the soft grains of the sand on the beach. The aircraft spanned the entire width of the beach and a good chunk of the length – and the length spanned the entire north side of Station Square. Nothing came out of the craft. It was lifeless. Seemingly unmanned. But it _had_ to be manned.

Bradley edged closer and closer to the giant spectacle. It possessed a certain beauty to it, like a work of art produced by Leonardo Da Vinci. His arm inched out toward the glassy surface of the exterior, and he stroked the metal as he would a purring cat. It was cold, yet incredibly smooth. Bradley found himself grinning wildly.

An abrupt shout sent Bradley blasting into the air. Panting hard, he dashed up back onto the grass and surveyed the city. All seemed well. Another cry, this time shorter and quieter. Then silence again. Troubled, Bradley turned his head the craft, and back to the city. No signs of anything. He did a double take.

Something was definitely wrong.

\../

"Sonic! _Hold it!"_

Sonic didn't even consider Tails's demand. He was gone. A flash. Whenever Sonic heard a scream, there was no stopping him. Tails scratched his bangs and began to follow him, then glanced back to the house. He knew Amy probably would be pissed, but he had to go after Sonic before he was impossible to find.

The buildings whizzed behind him as he trekked Sonic's path. Pedestrians blinked after him. Out of the corner he saw something blue whoosh past.

"Heyyyy_yyyyyy__yyyyyyy!!…" _he shouted as he screeched his way down the street in an attempt to stop. Sliding back to Sonic's side he examined an unconscious boy who looked to be in high school.

"Wow. Nice blue emo hair."

"So am _I_ an emo?"

"What? Oh, come – "

"Listen. You stay here and I'll go check around to see if everyone else is okay." No wait for a response; just a sudden departure as always.

Tails kneeled and searched for wounds. Nothing except for a small bump through the azure strands covering his head and a minor scrape on his leg. It didn't look like he would recover any time soon. Tails stood up when his friend appeared next to him.

"Nobody. Just this kid."

"You did that in fifteen seconds."

"What, are you surprised? C'mon, we need to move him."

Sonic grabbed the kid's legs and Tails his shoulders. They hauled him to the grass by the sidewalk and gently placed him there.

"Where_ is_ everybody?"

"Probably inside. Knowing you, Tails, would you really stay outside after somebody's screaming like that?"

"Yes, I would."

"Yeah, you're right. But you're not normal."

"Wow, thanks."

They were set off balance by a faint _boom_, followed by a minor quake that rippled through the city. A few seconds later the same thing happened, but louder and more violent. Sonic and Tails waited a moment for another but it didn't come.

"What – " A huge explosion shattered a building right next to them. The force of the blast sent Tails spiraling away and Sonic hard into the wall of another building. Tails skidded across the concrete of the sidewalk and came to rest by a sewer vent. He lay there a few seconds in a state of shock. Slowly regaining his senses, he pulled himself to his feet and wiped blood away from a scrape on his cheek.

He located Sonic sitting against the building he was thrown into. Tails rushed to him and attempted to help him up, but was batted away.

"I think my shoulder's broken. I can't move my left arm."

"Wait a second." Tails grabbed a chip attached to his glove and centered it in his palm, where it expanded into a cube taking up his whole hand. He opened it by pushing a button and pulled out a silver sheet of metal with a small generator attached to it.

"Hold still."

"What?"

Tails placed the metal on Sonic's afflicted shoulder and it snapped to fit its shape. Sonic wrenched to the right and winced from the movement.

"I said don't move."

"No, you said 'hold still.'"

"Getting all smart won't do you any good. Now _stay there_."

Tails pushed a button on the generator and it glowed. Sonic grimaced. After a few seconds the sheet of metal fell off Sonic's arm in its regular shape.

"What was that?"

"A healing device. It uses a grid of how our bodies are supposed to look and it mends wounds accordingly. It takes a lot of energy. It didn't have much left because I had to use it on myself a few times, but it should have at least put your bone structure back in place. Test it."

Sonic cautiously stood up and waved his arm around in various directions. "It still hurts a bit, but it's way better."

"I'm going to have to get a new generator for it when we get back." A notion hit him. "Wait. What exactly is going on now?"

Sonic made an annoyed noise. "Sure, ask Dr. Average. Who knows."

"Damn it. If there was something that bonked some kid out and made a bunch of buildings go down, why didn't we see it? Why wasn't there any warning?"

"There was." Sonic cocked his head at Tails. The voice came from beside them. It belonged to Knuckles, who was standing there with his usual pissed-off air. He eyed them. "All predators have their means of hunting. Behold the hunting methods of Theta Black."

--

**I believe this is one of my favorite chapters. Nothing that I really look back on and wince about.**


	9. Initiation

**...Yeah.**

**IT'S GO TIME!**

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Bradley jogged through the empty, yet chaotic; city anxiously. He resisted the urge to snap his body around to observe anything behind him every few seconds. He eventually stopped on the sidewalk to calm himself and think things over. That's when he felt another surge course through the ground.

He whipped around, his shining copper hair flapping into his face. There weren't any buildings surrounding him. He waited for three painful seconds, and another explosion rocked the area. Bradley caught himself as the ground jerked and a violent wind rushed past him. Satisfied with his actions, he continued down the sidewalk and went down the bend.

He noticed something in the grass by the sidewalk about fifty feet in front of him. Curious, he quickened his pace and squinted. With a jolt of shock, he realized he recognized what was lying in the lush lawn. Bradley knelt next to Manny, one of his classmates. He was only slightly acquainted to Manny; but he could recognize him anywhere by his blue hair. It was his natural hair color; a mystery. His parents wouldn't let him dye it.

Bradley confirmed Manny to be knocked out cold. He looked fine. Bradley stood over him for a moment, unsure of what to do, and decided to keep moving and tell the nearest person he saw. He resumed on his way. Eventually he made it into the densest building square of the city; passing only three people. The first happened to be a kindly young police officer who looked professional and on the job. Bradley informed him of Manny, and the cop told him he would get help and that Bradley should flee to safety. The other two people were scurrying past, holding their briefcase and backpack over their head to protect themselves from invisible debris. But he passed other things. He saw bodies strewn about the city. The amount of those who had lost their lives astonished him. Most of them where killed by the explosion itself, while the others had suffered their demise by debris. Bradley did not stop to acknowledge any of the people. None of them he knew. He prayed, however. It was the least he could do.

In the square, Bradley saw no signs of activity, hostile or otherwise. He turned around to head the other way but felt another quake in the earth. Slowly he rotated his gaze back toward the maze of buildings surrounding him. Wide-eyed and stunned, he opened his mouth to utter a single word.

"Shit."

Bradley dropped his bag and sprinted down the pavement. He took huge and furious strides, caring only that he covered as much distance as possible. He found them to be unearthly quick. _One._ His time was up when he counted to three. He dug his toes into the ground as he ran. Everything was a confused blur. _Two._ Bradley squeezed his eyes shut involuntarily. Desperate, he braced himself with his arms and dove, like in the movies. _Three!_

He slammed into the ground and slid across the street. Dazed and out of breath, he pushed himself up warily and looked around frantically. Even though no one was around, he felt foolish.

Suddenly he felt a wave of energy pulse out from behind him, and his hearing was shattered by a deafening exclamation. Bradley felt himself being brought off of the ground. Everything went in slow motion. His limbs flailed out as he soared through the air. He collided with the ground. Then again. And again. It seemed like some giant had grabbed him and was repeatedly slamming him across the ground. Finally he stayed on the ground, and he slid to a stop and remained sprawled on the cold road.

Bradley's thoughts were few and indiscernible. Somehow it felt nice to lie there, engulfed in ignorance of the moment. Slowly he regained control of his thoughts, then his limbs, then his will. Bradley opened his eyes and lifted his head. His jacket was a ripped and tangled from contact with the pavement. He saw his gym bag in pieces ahead of him. He was going to have to pay for a new gii and equipment. That was the least of his problems.

He had numerous scrapes, bruises, and gashes all over his body. The worst one was a large gash on his right hip. The pain seemed to hit him all at once. Bradley laid his head back down. Then he planted his hands behind him, lifted his legs up, and vaulted them forward, with them the rest of his body. Bradley flew onto his feet and stood in defiance. He ripped off the remains of his jacket, revealing the light, smooth Under Armor muscle shirt that he was sporting underneath. Bradley gazed coldly at the buildings in front of him, which that had been standing proudly just seconds ago but that were down in a crumbled mess. Ignoring any surge of pain, he strolled up to the wreckage and spat in it.

He walked up to his bag, all his movements cool and careful, and searched the tattered mess for anything that might have survived. He found his leather survival gloves to be intact. He pulled them on. He equipped himself with his army knife and a short piece of a pole he found laying next to the bag. Bradley turned away from the rubble and began to walk away.

Something made Bradley stop. In a sudden motion he whipped around and thrust an accusing finger at the wreckage. For a second he thought he was crazy, but then he made out the black outline of a cloaked figure behind the carnage. Pronouncing each word with meaning and distaste, he growled: "I'm coming after you all." The figure was gone in a flash.

\_.|._/

"There it is."

"What the hell is that? It looks like a spaceship!"

Sonic and Knuckles were behind a building, peering at the giant craft that belonged to Theta Black. Sonic gaped at it longer while Knuckles replied smoothly, "It probably could be used as a spaceship. It's made as a 'screw you' to common knowledge."

Sonic couldn't help but be amazed by the aircraft's elegance and style. He glimpsed the giant insignia on its body and grinned. "They do like to sound their arrival with a fanfare of trumpets."

Knuckles looked at Sonic strangely for a second, then realized what he meant. "I guess so." He twitched with alarm as another explosion rattled the city. "Tails needs to hurry up. We don't have any time."

Tails was a quarter of a mile away from them, situated next to a palm tree near the beach. He was holding a large device in front of him with both hands, facing Theta Black's aircraft. Information was flowing into the device. Tails studied the rapidly moving text for a few minutes and turned the device off once its activity ceased. He scaled the tree and vaulted off of it, using poles and buildings in front of him in a similar manner to hop across the city. He didn't fly because it would take too long.

When he spotted Sonic and Knuckles he jumped off of the shingle of a window and bee lined diagonally toward the ground. He landed softly in front of them and relayed, "About 81% of the craft is hollow. Twenty to fifty life forms were found, and there is a huge radioactive pulse coming from somewhere near the center of the ship. There's four entrances, or openings, rather – the main one in front, which is sealed; one in the side, one on the roof, and one – quite strangely – on the bottom."

Knuckles frowned. "I didn't expect there to be so many members inside. They usually all come out during raids."

"Maybe this isn't a normal raid," commented Sonic, distracted. His eyes were glued to the side of the craft. Knuckles and Tails followed his gaze, and found that the first visible activity on the craft was occurring. Three bright white lights illuminated in succession – after this, they all flared. In the decreasing daylight, a splash of brilliance erupted from the side of the ship – then nothing. The three of them waited for something else to happen, but it was in vain. The craft sat there as if nothing had happened.

Another quake rattled the city, followed by a faint, but still commanding; boom. "We have to find a way to get in there," Sonic said quietly. "Now."

Tails was quick to answer. "There shouldn't be any reason that we wouldn't be able to approach. My scanner detected no energy pulses or field around the exterior of the craft."

At that, Sonic was gone. It took Tails and Knuckles a moment to discover he slipped away, and then they followed him.

Sonic was in front of the main door. It was easily three times his size. He scanned the wall around the door. It was riddled with panels and mechanics. Sonic realized quickly what it would take to open the hatch, but he tried to pry it apart from the middle anyway. "Sonic," Tails said. "Even if I could get us in there, there's no way of knowing for sure if the thing that's causing the explosions is in there or not. I think we – "

Sonic waved his hand to cut him off. "Two things," he began quickly. "Thing One: did you happen to catch some giant, shiny doomsday device out there; if so, then tell me now." Sonic actually waited for a response, then continued. "Thing Two: you said yourself the scanner detected a huge radioactive pulse coming from somewhere near the center of the ship. Key word: _radioactive_. We can infer from modern technology, Tails. Whatever is giving off that pulse is powering something outside of the craft."

After Knuckles did a silent double take at Sonic, he added, "This is just the beginning. It's going to get worse and worse from here."

Cornered, Tails dropped his gaze. "I'll do what I can."

Sonic and Knuckles looked at him for a plan. He closed his eyes for a few moments, the gears in his mind going at light speed. Then he lifted his eyes to the ceiling of the ship and said, "It appears as though a code will unlock the door. That being said, if I can get into the panel, I can trigger the function that would set off the mechanism as if the code had been inputted.

"We can't do this here. Obviously we're liable to get busted by the enemy. The roof is so vast that it'll be less risky to get spotted up there. We're going to have to be light." Directing the next words at Knuckles, he added, "We don't need twenty to fifty members on our tail." Knuckles nodded.

"Once we get inside, I'll use my scanner again and get a virtual compass of the layout. First we need to get on the roof."

Tails backed up and covered the fifty or more feet to the top of the craft in one leap. He landed carefully on the tiered roof, followed closely by Sonic and Knuckles. Tails took out his scanner again and brought up the data from the previous scan. "The entrance," he said slowly, "is approximately seventy meters NNW of us…" He pointed in the exact direction.

They plodded towards it, Tails hovering above the surface using his tails with Sonic and Knuckles running lightly beside him. Knuckles tripped over the tiered floor once, but righted himself with a smooth, but heavy, handspring. Tails huffed at him unconsciously. "Stop," he said after a short while." Sonic and Knuckles struggled to screech – silently – to a stop while Tails bent down. He examined the patterns on the roof where he was. "The hatch," he observed, referring to the slight drop into smooth metal at the edge of his feet. He found the panel for the opening mechanism not long after. Sonic and Knuckles kneeled down to watch.

He pried it open using a tool from a small set he always kept with him – then stopped. He turned to look at them. "This is way too simple."

"Keep going," Sonic said simply.

Tails uneasily continued. He poked around in the wires until he found the one he wanted, and cut it.

A barking beep came from the mechanism, and the hatch suddenly sprang open. The three of them, having been situated on it, dropped. They fell for a few moments and slammed into titanium. The door above them shut itself. After a few seconds of initial shock, Tails, Sonic, and Knuckles pulled themselves to their feet and glanced at each other.

"We're in," Tails murmered.

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**I'MA CHARGIN MAH LASER**

**:D**


	10. Pitfall

**This is the first chapter in awhile with one plotline in it. You don't have to make the mental switch here.**

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Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles had dropped into one of the many corridors in Theta Black's ship. The ceiling was high, not a surprise from their drop into the hall; and everything was slathered a dark bluish grey. Plain, long lights were lined across the ceiling. The walls were dotted with machinery. They happened to land right in front of Theta Black's fancy insignia in the wall.

"Alright." Tails flipped out the scanner once more and pressed a button in the middle. Breakneck-fast beeping commenced as data flowed into the machine. After around a minute, the data ceased its streaming and he examined it.

"I've got some exact data now. Forty-one life forms were located. The majority of them are at the opposite side of the ship from us…the radioactive pulse is like nothing I've ever seen before. Apparently it isn't truly a pulse. The entire city is covered in a sort of field. It's not pulsating, but steady. That's not all…get this." Tails turned around to face them. "According to the scanner, the radioactive pulse is…alive."

Sonic froze in his stretching position. Knuckles didn't seem incredibly afflicted. "So?" he said defiantly.

Tails gave him a little leer as if he were joking, and turned his head back to the scanner. "I also got something that wasn't detected from outside…" he lifted the screen up for the other two to see. The data had formed a sort of map of the ship. The areas were outlined in grey. But there were also small segments dotted throughout the map that were outlined in red. Sonic squinted at the screen. Knuckles remained there with his arms crossed.

"These sections," Tails began, "I can only assume are under maintenance. That may not be the case, but I think we should be more cautious than usual in here."

Tails put the scanner away and they stood in silence for a moment.

"Ready to - " Tails began, but Sonic and Knuckles had already blasted off down the corridor. After a moment to allow his brain to process what had happened, he shook his head and took off at a blur after them.

Besides a few forks in the corridor and the doors that were spread across the walls, the layout of the ship was monotonous. Of course, it was a barely comprehensible wave, but otherwise the ship didn't throw anything at the trio to make them stop. Due to the lack of surprises, Sonic and Knuckles silently ignited a race through the wide and seemingly unending corridor. A minute into the little competition Tails abruptly stopped, and the two completely unaware blurs of blue and red careened forward. Tails smirked and clamped his eyes shut as he heard them realize their danger and screech.

A massive confusion ensued Sonic and Knuckles's splat into the wall. Knuckles flew backward while Sonic remained plastered, his face out to the side. Knuckles lay on a heap on the floor and Sonic slid down the wall after a few seconds. Tails tried desperately to hold back a roar of laughter at the sight. He helped Knuckles up and asked them if they were hurt. Knuckles threw his arm off of him. "Are you grinning?" he yelled incredulously, his fur standing on end.

"So you're fine, then."

Knuckles was clearly losing his temper for the first time since his last encounter with them. It all spilled out at once. Sonic watched with increasing interest.

"You planned that, didn't you!?" he shouted. "_You –_ "

Knuckles didn't speak anymore. Keeping true to his former self, he let his anger boil out into action. He took a swipe at Tails. Tails leaned to the side, slightly surprised. "All right. I apologize."

"I bet," Knuckles spat. He took an even more massive swing at Tails, which was stopped right in place. This was the first time Knuckles had attacked Tails; his fights were always with Sonic. _Sonic's rubbed off on me_, Tails realized.

Knuckles growled and assaulted Tails with a barrage of fists and feet. Sonic did nothing, silently grinning. Tails, fast as lightning, sidestepped and ducked all the attacks, jumping over the last one – and spin kicking Knuckles smoothly in mid-air. Absolutely in shock, Knuckles flopped onto the metal floor. Sonic let out a sharp laugh. Exasperated, Knuckles scrambled up and threw the hardest punch he could muster. Tails grabbed his arm and twisted it; with it, the rest of his body. Knuckles spiraled off his feet. Tails stepped up to him on the floor and put his shoe on Knuckles's side. "You're exactly the same," he said through a smirk.

"You're not," Knuckles gasped. It was a profound thing to say.

Tails helped him up again. Sonic removed himself from the wall he was leaning against and approached them. "I won that race," he said.

Knuckles scoffed at him, his arguing fuel spent.

For the first time they turned their attention to the wall (slightly dented by the impact). It was the only difference in the corridor they were trekking down to that point. In its center was a large metal door not unlike the opening hatch on the top of the ship. "This must be the threshold between wings of the ship," Tails asserted. "Give me a minute." He stepped in front of the door's panel. In a matter of seconds the door was open. "It becomes second nature."

The area in front of them wasn't much different from the one they were just in. The only noticeable change was in the color of the stripes lining the walls; they had changed from powder blue to a lush green. "We should be in the center wing," Tails whispered unconsciously. "We have to be more attentive for Theta Black members, the bridge, and averts in the hallway. We shouldn't run anymore."

"But then we're more likely to be seen," Sonic pointed out.

"I'll handle that." Tails beckoned them to follow and they trotted down the hallway until Tails held up his hand. He was standing underneath a barely noticeable surveillance camera. He pulled out what seemed to be a tiny pair of pliers and opened the control panel under the camera. After a few minutes of poking around and incomprehensible mutters, Tails cried out in triumph. A tiny snip noise wafted past Sonic and Knuckles. Tails pulled his gloved hand out of the panel. "I cut the universal surveillance cord. The camera system should be off now."

They started down the corridor yet again. They kept a slow pace and searched around for large doors, splits in the hallway, and black hooded figures. Nothing came up. Suddenly Sonic shouted, and they all halted. Sonic motioned them over to a strangely placed and created door. It was exceedingly wide, but barely tall enough to fit a human child. It seemed to be a triple door and its vicinity was littered with control panels.

Tails was about to say something when a deep beeping echoed throughout the hallway. They swiveled around frantically. Suddenly Tails felt the floor drop from under his feet. He dropped in confusion, hearing Knuckles utter a short cry. His mind was in a whirlwind. Once he regained control of his thoughts he realized he was falling headfirst. He felt a pang of panic – then his fall ended. It seemed like he became enveloped and encased in a large cloud. His descent slowed to a stop and he hovered in mid-air for a moment. He tried to take a breath, but it was extremely difficult to. He finally deduced that he was actually underwater, and pawed upward.

He hit the surface and coughed out the water he had consumed. After prying his bangs away from his eyes and regaining his breath, he scanned the place he was in as best he could. He appeared to be in some sort of power current room in the underside of the ship. It, apparently, was powered by hydroelectric energy. Tails deduced the water he was in was quite deep. _They must have doubled this room as a trap entrance_, he thought, grimacing. _That must have been what the red outlines on the scanner were_. He observed that the room was inactive. The ship wasn't using hydroelectric electricity at the moment. That baffled Tails; the ship was giving off innate energy readings.

But he was faced with a bigger problem – there was no place where the water ended for Tails to climb on to, nor were there any doors visible. He decided not to waste any energy to swim around and search. His strength was already starting to recede from treading water, so he took a breath and broke under the surface. He kicked downward and looked around for any openings or exits. He found the bottom of the pool – and a large opening through the wall across from him. Tails pushed off and emerged above the water again. Gathering his nerves, he inhaled massively and dove under again. Using his tails to speed up his movement, he swam down and eventually through the indentation.

He was inside an underwater corridor, illuminated by lights that reminded him of the hallways in the upper floor. The moving water made reflections off the walls that gave Tails a peaceful feeling as he was swimming, but he didn't concentrate on it. He was looking for another place to surface. Quickening the revolutions of his tails and his strokes, he began to ascend as the corridor became vertical. He paddled up, and suddenly broke above the surface. Stunned, he flailed above surface and dipped back under. He got a flashback to his last encounter with Eggman as he accidentally inhaled more water. He re-surfaced and choked. Becoming slightly agitated, Tails sputtered a bit more and scanned the new surroundings.

To his relief, the tunnels made a U-turn. In front of him, the tunnel sported shallow water. He gratefully swam toward it. His feet touched ground and his muscles relaxed a bit as he ceased the constant effort of floating. Tails leaned against the wall of the tunnel, panting as he rested briefly. The water came up to his waist. After his short break he hopped above the water and hovered forward using his tails. The wound in his back wasn't troubling him much anymore. He snaked around with the tunnel and sped up a bit. Soon he realized the floor was slowly descending again. He swore silently and braced his wits. He hovered in place and suddenly dropped in a dive. Tails cut through the water and exploded down the tunnel. He was tired of it, and his strength was failing him. He followed the walls for a bit longer.

The tunnel abruptly stopped in front of him. Puzzled, he looked upon a wheel mounted on the wall. Desperate, with his air supply in his lungs rapidly fading, he began to turn the wheel. At that moment a stony rumbling bounced through the water as the wall parted. Excited, Tails turned the wheel faster. Once the wall was open enough for him to squeeze through, he floated past the opening and stopped dead in front of it. The floor ahead of him ascended – and directly above him was the surface.

Tails shot toward it and burst out. Triumphant, Tails floated on his back while he let his lungs refill themselves. He then swam over to the ground and lay down on it, making land angels. That was his second close encounter with water in one week. Sonic would have died around six times.

Standing up, he turned around and examined where he had traveled through. It looked like a vent for exchanging water. Above him, Tails noticed a large duct on the ceiling. After a moment, he figured out it was where water flowed into the room. It was now dormant. Tails shook himself, water flying everywhere, and –

A sudden clang made Tails start. He whirled his head around. Spikes were shooting at him from the walls. Annoyed, Tails jumped straight up, and, analyzing the separation between the spikes, began twisting. He weaved his body through the top wave, then flipped backward to duck his back under the middle wave. The lowest wave was the trickiest one. Falling now, he performed the quickest corkscrew he could manage. It wasn't fast enough. He felt sharp pangs all around him as the formidably sized spikes buried themselves into his body. Tails hit the ground face-first. The pain was overwhelming. His diminished strength, coupled with the new assault on his body, were too much for him to handle. His vision darkened, and his thoughts slowed as he passed out.

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**Another bout with water. Of course I'm not running out of ideas! :(**


	11. Discovery

**This is amazing - three chapters actually in fair time intervals between each other. =D**

**Thanks to SilverTragedies for all of the support.  
**

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Eggman walked briskly through the hallway. He flitted his head about to watch the various goings-on around the section. Black-dressed members were scurrying about, testing out weapons he had never seen before, talking in quickened tones, and changing variables in the ship's mainframe through database computers in the walls. They were all Mobian. He took an awed breath and found himself in front of the door he was venturing towards. He opened it and stepped through.

He was, once again, facing the leader of Theta Black. Eggman raised an eyebrow and said, "You're still here."

"Change in plans. We have a diversion." The Mobian was holding something in his black gloved hand. "I called you again because we have reason to believe there are intruders in our ship."

He strode up to Eggman and handed him the thing he was holding. It was a large photograph. "This is a still taken from one of our corridor security cameras," he stated. "It was pure chance that we happened to catch it."

It was apparent why. On the screen were three long and nearly indistinguishable blurs in the picture. Even though it was black and white, Eggman knew that the blurs were blue, red, and orange.

A broad grin spread across Eggman's face. He began to laugh. Beside him, he heard "What? What is it?" Eggman handed back the photo and said, "You have a rodent problem."

\_.|._/

Tails felt warmth seep back into his limbs. He put off opening his eyes, for fear of what he might behold. But when he did, he was pleasantly surprised to find himself lying in the same spot. The same room – the pool of water behind him, the large vent on the ceiling. Tails tried to move, and was assaulted senseless by sharp reports from all ends of his body. He inspected his arm. The two spikes that had embedded themselves there were still in his arm. Gradually he began to feel that all the spikes that had hit him were still there.

Groggy and worn out from pain, Tails did his best to ignore the endless throbbing and gingerly and sluggishly pushed himself onto his feet. When he found he couldn't stand, he sat down. _I have to get these out of me_. Carefully, he began to remove the spikes. It was an arduous job that took him a few minutes. He dealt with the ones in the easiest places first. There were three he saved for last – one in the center of his left palm, one in his tail, and one just beside his temple. He painfully worked them all out.

Tails took the chip from his glove that was the healing device. He knew that he had spent the rest of its store of energy on Sonic earlier that day, but he couldn't continue until he had healed himself significantly. Tails got an idea and worked his way back onto his feet. Trying desperately not to fall, he staggered over to the wall; his legs fighting to give way the whole time. He reached the titanium surface and fell onto it, panting. Tails was standing in front of a strange mark on the wall that which he knew to be the execution panel for the spike trap. He guessed that it took a fair amount of energy to power it.

Tails leaned against the wall and waited; his chip at the ready. He had designed it to be a common executable chip, so he could use it for a situation like this. The trap was not motion activated, because it activated when he was standing still, so it must have been a time interval activation. Tails deduced that he hadn't been out for long, but he didn't have any other options than to wait until the trap activated again.

Quarter of an hour passed. Tails was losing blood. He didn't trust himself to wash out the puncture wounds in the water behind him; it was deep, and he didn't know if he had the strength to swim. Half an hour. Tails was getting more tired by the minute. He lost track of time eventually and felt himself starting to slip out of awareness again. Then he felt something stirring in the walls. Energy was channeling through them. Tails jolted and found a port for an executable chip. He jammed his in, and pushed a tiny button on the end.

Spikes protruding from the walls stopped coming out in mid-process. Tails braced himself on the wall as he started another wait. He felt the energy in the wall course to a new endpoint. After a while, Tails felt the energy fade and recede completely. It was all in his healing machine. With effort, Tails pulled the chip out and sprawled on the floor. He knew that if he fainted again, he may never wake back up. Tails pushed the main button on the chip to reveal the machine from it. He then took the sheet and let it clamp softly around his neck for a full-body recovery.

Tails gasped as energy rushed back into him. He felt his wounds close themselves in. After a minute the sheet of metal unclamped and fell aside. Tails performed a kip up and landed softly on his feet. The machine had actually given him full energy and stored excess inside his body. There was spare left in the machine. Tails returned it back into chip form and re-attached it to his glove.

Tails stretched and beamed to himself. He searched for exits out of the room. To his unease, he found none but the underwater tunnel through which he came. Frowning, he searched again, and the vent on the ceiling popped into his mind. The vent was pointing diagonally to the ground. Situating himself under it, Tails vaulted himself up with his arms stretched above him. His hands grasped steel at the peak of his jump. The vent proved to be twice his size. He clambered into it and began climbing it. The metal wasn't slippery, suggesting it hadn't been used for water channeling in a while. He used his tails as a propeller to help himself a few times. Eventually he reached the end of the vent and cautiously peered out of it.

He was looking into a power supply room. Once again, it was empty of members. Tails lifted his upper body from the vent. Just at the tip of it was another pool of water, this one small. The water level was a few feet lower than the hall in the room. Tails saw other vents coming into this room that probably used to supply the pool from other parts of the ship. Wanting to save the muscles in his tails for later, Tails slipped into the water once again and began to swim toward the platform. He looked back as he heard water spill into the vent from the waves he created.

Tails reached the end of the pool and had to reach his arms as far as he could to reach the ledge. After a few difficult attempts to grab it, he pulled himself out of the water. He shook himself and looked about the room. He celebrated silently when he saw a normal door at the wall. Worried about leaving wet tracks through the ship, he used the panel at the door to open it.

He gazed into a side corridor of the ship. The colored stripes on the walls told him he was in the same wing as he was before. He took out his scanner and set it to alert him of approaching members. Still dripping, Tails looked for anyone oncoming and started off sprinting down the hallway. Even though the camera system was out, he wanted to find Sonic and Knuckles as quickly as possible.

He turned a corner into the main hallway. No alerts from the scanner yet. Still sprinting, he watched his surroundings as best as he could. Then he heard a beep come from his hand. Tails immediately stopped and leapt up. Grabbing onto a bar below a light on the ceiling, he lay down against the ceiling and waited. A single member turned the corner and ran under him. To his relief, Tails was no longer dripping, although he noticed his fur was poofing unattractively. On the bar he was hanging on to, Tails noticed the words 'nightmare sleep' etched into it. Tails considered it until he realized the member was gone. Tails dropped back down and resumed down the corridor.

After another period of time a louder beep came from his scanner. Tails stopped again, and heard a multitude of approaching footsteps. Frantically searching, Tails found a door beside him. Quicker than ever before, Tails hacked into the panel and dove into the room. The door closed and he heard the footsteps pass.

His heart still pounding, Tails jumped to his feet, whirled around, and prepared for an attack. Not believing his luck, he found this small room also to be deserted. His attention fell on a good sized computer monitor mounted in the wall. A standalone keyboard jutted out below it. Delighted, Tails realized it was a database computer. He curiously pressed a key, and the screen flashed to life. On it was a window that queried for a password. Tails's heart sank and he stepped away from the computer. Then he remembered the bar on the ceiling and he rushed back to the monitor. He typed in 'nightmare sleep'. After a second, the monitor returned the response: _Password Correct._

Tails let out a shaky breath. The monitor flashed, and a screen packed with articles appeared. _Theta Black's entire records base_, he realized, skimming the page. Brimming with excitement, he dug into the page, reading down the list and opening a few articles – then he stopped dead. On the leftmost column of the titles he spotted a very familiar name, and he recognized it right away. It was Cellus, his hometown. He found it combined with another two words to form an article title: _The Cellus Raid_.

He hands quivering, Tails tapped a key and opened it. He read the article.

_In May of 3226, Theta Black sent their storm to a large village in western Mobius called Cellus. The village was comprised entirely of Mobians (78% fox; 21% wolf; 1% coyote) and was situated well north of the string of colonies aptly titled 'Mysterious Cat Country'. Two days later, the whole of the alliance traveled to Cellus in the _Dreamshrouder_ to raid the village. This was the first raid operated by the newest Theta Black Commanding Captain, Radeus Volken (in command 3228 – present)._

_The Cellus Raid lasted for seven hours. During the raid, the entire physical village was wiped out. There are only two known survivors from the raid: Feruor Riadan, coyote, age 27; and Miles Prower, fox, age 3._

Tails's heart nearly stopped. He was numb.

_The reason for the raid was revealed by Captain Volken to be that the most dangerous enemy to Theta Black resided in the village. No other details were disclosed._

_During the raid, three members were killed: Second Class Gens…_

The words didn't process through Tails's brain anymore. He stumbled back from the monitor and clutched on to the wall behind him. He hung onto the wall as if it were the only thing keeping him from falling to his death. Tails stared at the floor. His mind was shot. He couldn't breath; couldn't think. He felt like he was going to hyperventilate or die from his heart bursting.

He stayed in a sort of catatonic state for a few minutes. Then his emotions returned to him. A single one came out and boiled over from his mind, into his limbs, into his heart. He was angry. He was enraged. He remembered all of the times he had asked Sonic as a little cub why he didn't have a family. Sonic didn't know. No one knew. He was the little family-less _freak_ with two tails, and now he knew who to blame for his misery. He felt adrenaline soar through his veins at a deadly pace. It seemed like every word on the screen in front of him read "revenge."

Tails leaped at breakneck speed at the monitor. He blasted through it with such force that he landed in the next room, the wall behind him in ruins. Two Mobians, dressed entirely in black, stood in the middle of the room, staring. One of them started to pull out something, but Tails on upon them in milliseconds. He had leapt toward them, and suddenly the one on the left was kicked across the chin while the other was flung hard into the wall by one of his tails.

But apparently the thing one of the members had tried to pull out was an alarm signal, because the place erupted in red lights and sirens. Tails stared straight into the wall. _Let them come._ He saw a camera mounted on the ceiling in a corner of the room. Even though he knew it was off, he jumped and smashed it with his foot. It shattered.

_I'll kill every single one of them._

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**I like the half-angst thing near the end. It was fun to write.**_  
_


	12. Engaging

**Thanks to kilatails for also reviewing. You guys really inspire.**

**This chapter is exceptionally longer than the last few. Sorry about that.**

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There were two buildings in Station Square that had the least chance of being targeted, and they were also the largest: the square center that doubled as the train station, and the hotel. Bradley decided to take shelter in the former. Apparently, other people of the city had the same idea, because the square was packed with residents. Police officers kept the massive crowds in check as they flooded in and found places to stand. The noise was deafening.

Since Bradley was one of the first ones there, he was able to sit at one of the benches. Better yet, he was able to sit alone. He was soot-covered and bloody and smelled of smoke. Instead of sitting next to him, people favored whispering conspicuously and staring. At one point a cop came over and questioned him. He responded with "A building exploded on me". He was too busy thinking.

Bradley was very deep in thought. What possibly could be behind the explosions was baffling him. He had no doubt the black figures were the reason, but he couldn't see how it was possible. His reasoning always involved the massive craft, however. It didn't seem like the explosions could be occurring without it. He ran scenarios through his head until it hurt. He didn't have an answer.

One of the cops near Bradley was cursing. He was bonking the top of his radio with his fist. The radio was spewing nothing but static.

Another cop came over beside him. "What's the problem?"

"My stupid radio won't get a signal." He bonked the top of it again. "There's some sort of interference…"

Bradley nearly jumped off of the bench. Interference. _Radio signal_ interference. The radio signals were being intercepted by another radioactive signal that was stronger. A control signal, perhaps?

Bradley stood up off of the bench. He walked briskly toward the exit.

"Hey!" Bradley stopped as one of the cops called out. He stepped beside Bradley. "No one is permitted to leave until the situation is under control."

"Under control!?" Bradley was almost shouting at him. "This _situation_ won't be _under control _if something isn't done. Furthermore, these people won't be safe here forever." Bradley made a gesture involving everything around them. "They're going to bring down every building in the city. We are _not invisible_ here. We can hide, but they'll find us."

"And what," said the cop, exasperated and trying to hide his fear; "could _you_ possibly do to stop this?"

Bradley was either going to answer or storm out the exit when the crowds around them changed tone. They were jabbering in confusion, and some people were yelling. They had dispersed around the center of the room – and there stood a tall humanoid figure, cloaked in black.

This wasn't the same as the others Bradley had seen. The others were short and had strange shapes. This one looked exactly human.

For a long while, it did nothing but stand in the center of the room. The cops were whispering angrily amongst themselves. "How did he get in without us seeing?" "We should arrest him!" "Is he involved in this?" "Look at how he's dressed! We should arrest him!"

Eventually the cops stopped bickering and they formed a line in front of the stranger. The citizens were piled into the walls and corners of the room. The room hushed and the oldest cop – most likely the chief – commanded: "You will place any weapons you may have on the floor in front of you. You will come silently with us to be questioned, or you will be placed in custody."

Silence. The person didn't budge.

The cops were uneasy. The same one shouted again. "If you do not have any weapons, then come with us. Now."

Another silence. Bradley was starting to wonder if the person was some sort of plastic statue when the stranger finally raised his black arm. His gloved hand was pointing accusingly at the line of police officers. Bradley noticed with intrigue that this person had four fingers on each hand.

The stranger spoke. He sounded young, but cynical and edged. "I don't have weapons in my possession, but I will not come with you."

The crowd whispered anxiously. The cops looked at each other, then raised their pistols and the chief responded: "Then we will place you in custody."

Bradley's heart leaped. _Don't do it,_ he pleaded silently. Two of the cops ran forward. They approached the cloaked figure, one of them raising handcuffs – then, in a movement almost uncatchable to the eye, the stranger snapped out his arm. The cop who was brandishing cuffs now lay writhing on the floor.

The place was in an uproar. People were yelling and squeezing against the perimeter of the walls. The other cop took a swing with his club at the person, who took the cop's arm and used it to bonk him on the head with his own weapon. This was followed by a punch in the gut. Both the officers were on the ground, and the rest of the line approached the attacker.

He reached both arms into either sides of his trenchcoat-like cloak. His arms re-emerged with two black handguns that he pointed at them. The officers stopped and the crowd's horror rose.

"I was lying," the stated simply. He twirled the weapons and – he was flying toward the ground, his handguns soaring forward. They landed in front of the police officers. Standing behind the cloaked stranger on the floor was Bradley.

"Get them out of here," he suggested, cocking his head toward the people around them.

The officers stared at him, gaping.

"Get them out of here, _please_. I'm going to take care of this for you. Get the people out and get help!"

The attacker was getting up now. Running in different directions, the officers were shouting at the citizens. The person was up now, and his hood was down. It _was_ a boy, no more than two years older than Bradley. He had long and wild black hair and a crescent scar above his nose. His grey eyes were rotated in slightly, and his ears were pointed up strangely. On the collar of his trenchcoat, Bradley noticed the same mark that he had seen on the ship. He gazed daggers at Bradley while the noise around them died down and the people had moved.

Once the activity around them had completely ceased, the boy spoke in a low tone. "You can't imagine what you've plunged yourself into…"

"I can imagine lots of things."

The boy narrowed his eyes. "You don't even know what I am."

Bradley let an amused expression touch his face. "Gauging by the number of fingers on both of your hands and your slight alterations of the face, I'm guessing you're an Overlander."

If the boy was surprised, he didn't show it. He didn't reply.

Bradley eyed him. "Now that I know what I'm dealing with, may I kick your ass?"

High laughter echoed throughout the room. It didn't suit the kid. After he had finished, the boy said, "You still can't imagine what you're dealing with."

He sprinted. Bradley got into his fighting stance and prepared for the first blow.

\_.|._/

Tails ran at a fairly normal pace. He wanted to catch every single Theta Black member he may pass. His bangs were flipping into his eyesight. He didn't care. He didn't care about anything but revenge. He saw three Mobians in the hallway, rushing around in confusion due to the alarm that was going off. Tails jumped and vaulted off of the first one, sending him into the wall; spun around and swept his leg into the second one, and flew over the third one, planting his shoes into his gut while falling in front of him. Tails rolled to his feet and kept running.

Any members that got in his way were pummeled. One of them was aware of his presence and attacked him. Tails ducked under his fist, blocked his kick, then planted his hands on the ground and thrust out the rest of his body. He felt his feet blast into solid matter, and the member soared backward. Tails sprinted at him while he was getting up, hopped, and kicked four times in a running motion in the air. He continued at the same rate after the member crumpled behind him.

After he downed four others in another stretch of the corridor, he stopped briefly when he heard a strange noise come from one of the members' trenchcoat pockets. Tails knelt and pulled out a radio. It clicked to life, and he heard a voice on the other end: _First Class Kyouln, please respond for further orders. Over._

Tails grinned. _Perfect._

He took off again. He said into the radio, "He's not conscious at this moment. May I take a message?"

There was silence at the other end was a moment. Then, _What?_

"I don't think I need to repeat myself..."

_Where is Kyouln!?_

"On the floor, around three hundred feet behind me."

Tails came across two more members. With one hand, he flipped over the head of one, grabbed him, and threw him into the second one, whom he realized to be female. He was confident they saw not so much as the color of Tails's fur. Then he heard a response.

_What was that?_

"I just edited the number of neutralized forces from seventeen to nineteen."

Another silence. _Are you the cause for the alarm?_

"With pride."

Tails flipped open his scanner with his other hand and traced the location of the radio signal he was at the end of. He came across five members while doing this. Using just his legs, he spun around twice, hitting one with one foot, then the other. Still moving, he lifted off of the ground, turned his body parallel to the ground, spun rapidly, and careened into the next enemy. He scrambled up and nimbly hopped to the side as a black leg swung at him, hitting the member Tails had just attacked. He kicked off of the wall and slammed into the third member's back. He rolled over his head and side kicked him while falling. The last two came at him simultaneously. He dove forward, flipped halfway over in mid-air, and did a splits kick; catching them both in the head.

Tails was panting now. "Twenty-four," he announced into the radio. He looked at his scanner again, memorized the route to the other end of the signal, and put it away. The people on the other end of the radio had to be top-class members to be commanding a First Class.

_You seem determined to make this operation difficult for us._

"Does 'The Cellus Raid' ring any bells for you?"

There was a pause at the other end, then, _Yes._

"I'm here for revenge."

For the first time in the exchange, he heard emotion in the speaker's tone.

_Miles Prower…?_

Tails turned a corner into a narrow hall.

"I'm coming for you," Tails said through gritted teeth. His heart was pounding at an incredible pace. "I'm going to find you."

He saw the door he was searching for. "And when I do…"

He blasted through the door. It exploded off of its hinges and careened into the room. With a short pang, Tails looked into it and realized it to be the one in his nightmare. It was a very large and dark room. It appeared to be mostly empty except for what looked like a giant computer and many panels taking up a small portion of the left wall. It was lighter than in his dream. The walls were patterned and lit up.

In the middle of the room were three Mobians with their dark hoods down. At the sound of the door busting open they jolted and glanced toward the entrance. One of them was a hazel-tinted cat, the second one a black cat, and the third a mahogany raccoon.

Tails's fear washed away as soon as it came. His rage came back in full force, and he finished the statement he had begun.

"I'm going to send you all straight to hell!"

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**=0 OH GAWD**


	13. Exchanges

**YES I RECOVERED MAH PASSWORD :D**

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The boy disappointed Bradley by beginning his assault with a simple running punch. He strategically blocked every fist thrown in every direction, and soon they fell into a tempo. After a few seconds, the boy paused briefly to gear up a stronger punch, but Bradley processed this immediately. He punched the kid in the stomach, and followed with a simple three-punch combo to the face. His opponent stumbled backward, but did not fall.

Seeming displeased at himself for the early mistake, the boy approached Bradley more cautiously this time. They edged toward each other, and stood in their stances for a moment, calculating…his foe spun around with alarming ferocity and swung a fist out. Bradley leaned back, and this time he was on the offensive. He moved forward, going through his assortment of punches while the boy did his best to stop them from connecting. They were nearing the wall when Bradley finally faked a punch and swiftly came in with the other hand. Amazingly, his enemy saw it coming, and it was blocked. A fast knee to Bradley's gut made him wide open, and he was side kicked to the floor.

Both had fallen once now, but Bradley knew this was not an even match. He could tell he had better martial arts training than the kid, and he hadn't brought it out yet. He rolled backward into a standing position, and they circled each other briefly before the boy suddenly lunged with a tackle. Bradley stood pondering his stupidity for a second before grabbing his attacker and vaulting him backward in a suplex. They both rolled up, Bradley more quickly, and suddenly he was upon the boy with kicks. The kid seemed surprised by the complexity of the moves, and he slowly garnered hits until Bradley swept him down with a spinning kick. As soon as he was up again Bradley assaulted him with a double kick, ducked his foe's uppercut, and performed a sweep kick. The kid was floored, and now holding his elbow.

He picked himself up, and before Bradley could start at him again he cried "Wait!" Turning slightly, he tugged his trenchcoat off. He was wearing a simple shirt and pants of the familiar jet black. He stretched briefly, and face Bradley again, beckoning him. Bradley jumped and did a wide kick, and it was ducked. A sweep kick and now Bradley was the one on the floor. He kipped up, annoyed, and engaged again. His enemy was now much quicker and more flexible without the restricting coat on, but Bradley's technique was still better. He could tell the boy was tiring.

They were in the middle of the room again. Bradley's adversary's attacks were beginning to get desperate. He dodged a wild punch, and grabbed a thrown foot, pulling toward him. He kicked the kid in the chest and twisted his leg, spiraling him down. He stood slowly, and by his posture Bradley could tell the fight was nearing a close. The boy was back to a punching flurry. Bradley just walked backward while his opponent came at him. Eventually he pushed a fist away, shoved the kid back, and pulled off a miraculous tornado kick that caught his foe in the face. He flew backward and rolled across the floor for a bit, then was still.

Bradley tentatively stepped toward him. After waiting for a moment for him to stir, he bent down to examine him. He was knocked out cold. A little breath a mirth escaped Bradley's lips, flipping his bangs away. Overall, the fight had disappointed him. He had barely broken a sweat. The boy represented fear and destruction, and here he was, unconscious on the ground at Bradley's feet.

With ease, Bradley heaved him over his shoulder, and made his way toward where the officers and citizens left the building. He pushed open the main doorway, and stepped out onto the marble entrance to the station. Some of the police officers were still perched a ways off from him, while a cluster of specks in the distance suggested the rest were escorting the civilians into the hotel. The officers near him started at his emergence from the doors, and approached him. Bradley laid the boy and his cloak at his feet in a sprawl.

"There's your order," he said to the line of astonished faces. "Have a nice day."

Bradley remembered what he tried to leave the square to do, and set off at a sprint toward the radio station.

\_.|._/

Tails crushed the walkie-talkie in his palm and thrust it sideways. Soaring away, the many pieces hit the wall with fine tinkling tones. His rage was welling up inside of him, but it wasn't time for him to make a move. Not yet.

He waited as the figures in front of him gaped at him for a while, taking him in. Faintly, Tails heard the raccoon whisper, "Nice entrance" in a rasp. He watched as the black cat strode toward him, his senses on an all-time high. If a pin were dropped, he would be badly startled. Slowly the other two followed the cat. They stopped a little distance away, studying him over again.

"You don't look like much," the raccoon observed.

"Try me," Tails responded in a weird, soft tone.

"You're not bad-looking," the hazel cat remarked suddenly, and Tails discovered it was female.

He scoffed.

They started to circle him interestedly.

"So this is Miles Prower…you know, you've really been a headache. A minor headache, of course, but a pain nonetheless."

The sleek black cat was speaking. He sounded intelligent.

"I could make it more intense, if you would like," Tails said icily.

"You seem pretty confident." The cat took a step closer while circling him. "Can you back it up?"

"Try me," Tails said again.

"I would watch it," the raccoon growled.

"I wouldn't doubt you would," Tails spat back.

His fur stood up in anger, satisfying Tails.

"Who else is with you?" began the black feline again.

"I'm alone," Tails lied.

They had nothing to say to this, but looked at each other, still moving in an eclipse around him.

"How old are you?" the cat said, and Tails was taken aback by the strange question.

"I'm fourteen," he said after hesitation. "Shouldn't you know that?"

"Someone impersonating Miles wouldn't," said the light-colored cat, in a sing-song voice that went right through Tails.

They abruptly stopped moving. Tails could see all of them. He was waiting…he would know what they were about to do before they did…

"What do you plan to do now that you're here?" queried the cat.

"I told you. Revenge." Tails held his breath.

"Any other reason?"

"The interior design is quite nice."

The light cat laughed weirdly.

Then the dark cat acted so quickly Tails almost wasn't able to react. The cat had taken out a device, activated it, and hurled it at Tails in a single movement. Tails spun halfway around to avoid it, twisted backward, and thrust a leg out in mid backflip. His foot connected, and he heard the sound of a body falling after he landed smoothly.

"Something to take away from this," Tails said lowly, converting his unshakable anger into energy. "When interrogating, check to see if the subject is associated with Sonic the Hedgehog."

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**It's short.**


End file.
